


A Light in The Darkness

by An_undertale_Au_lover



Category: Undertale (Video Game)
Genre: F/M, Fluff and Smut, I cant really think of any more right now lol, I promise there will be more tags, This world is different than most....., don't worry no skelbros will die in the making of this story, frisk was not the one who broke the barrier, minor charcter death, scenes from the POV of the skeles, unless they were already dead
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-06-18
Updated: 2020-05-08
Packaged: 2020-05-14 05:45:52
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 9
Words: 55,396
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19267018
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/An_undertale_Au_lover/pseuds/An_undertale_Au_lover
Summary: SummaryMonsters had been released from Mount Ebott around 16 years ago, and with them they brought their culture (A.K.A there extreme love of puzzles) and magic. Although that was really nice that they got to finally experience the outside world, I didn't know much about it, and few people talked to me. So I kind of forget. I had too much else to worry about. Life just seemed to like to throw horrible things my way.   day after day of pain and misfortune. Attacks, people belittling me, staying away, whispering about me from afar, talking about what happened to me before…..Until 2 skeletons walked into the grocery store where I worked.Whatever anyone else says to them, I am determined to be kind.





	1. A meeting of happenstance

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> the improved version of chapter one! I have removed some spelling errors, as well as fix clunky dialogue b improving upon it!

notes are at the end-Have fun reading!  
___________________________

 

I was quietly humming a melody I made up on the fly while stocking shelves near the entry doors of the grocery store I worked at. It was rather quiet, as it was really early in the morning, and I was basking in the momentary peacefulness that the quiet and deserted grocery store provided, if for a moment. It is safer here than outside, where people could harass or mock me without it getting caught on camera, not that that would really help. ‘Stop it Rose! you’ve got to stop worrying for no reason. nothing has happened, and imagining the worst would just make things more painful.’ As I was about to argue with my ‘more practical’ side of my consciousness that it's alright to be cautious, the doorbell gingled, signaling customers. This snapped me back to reality, making me jerk back, trip, and fall on my butt all in one, cringy motion.

“ARE YOU ALRIGHT HUMAN?” This caused me to startle even more. This person was human wasn't he? …………… Maybe….. I misunderstood him. I misunderstood people a lot.

I quickly got up from off the ground still looking down, and nervously replied,

“Yes, I’m fine. I’m sorry I made you worry sir.”

Then I looked up. I suddenly understood why he called me human. I tried to be polite as I got once again, startled. I was looking right into the eye sockets of a very tall skeleton. Not that I had much to compare him to, I was rather short. I tried not to stare. I looked around him and saw yet another skeleton looking at the ground almost completely obscured by his tall companion. The taller skeleton looked at me quizzically as I looked at the other skeleton.

The shorter skeleton then looked up, probably noticing that his companion was not yelling anymore, and he looked up at me, noticing me staring and says,

“Well, a starer huh?”

This made me turn very red and look down once again.

“BROTHER! THAT WASN'T VERY NICE! SHE PROBABLY HASN'T SEEN A MONSTER BEFORE! RIGHT HUMAN!?”

this made me feel bad. Them being monsters was not really why I was nervous in their presence. Sure, I had only seen one monster before, a really long time ago, but I wasn't a racist, and felt horrible knowing that this monster thought that I was. The real reason I was so scared was because they were strangers.

“Oh no! Th-that's not why at all! I’m just really bad with strangers, that's all.”

I looked at the floor again shyly, then quietly mumbled.

“If anything, you guys being monster is less frightening to me than meeting new human strangers.”  
I looked back up to see the tall skeleton nervously pulling one gloved hand with the other, and the other shorter skeleton looking at me like he was trying to solve the world's greatest mystery. I decided to try to pull the conversation to something else.  
“So... Is there anything you guys would like me to help you find? You probably didn't come here just to talk to me after all…..”

this makes the taller skeleton light up, and nod  
“WE ARE HERE FOR SPAGHETTI!”

“don’t forget to mention ketchup.” the shorter skeleton it still looking at Me.

“THIS STORE DOES HAVE SPAGHETTI RIGHT?”

I smile, and relax a bit. This skeleton seems to be very nice, if a bit loud.

“Of course we have spaghetti! Right this way.”

I led them to the section of the store that sold various pastas.

“Here you go mister! This is all of the various pasta we sell. If you need any help, just ask.”

I was just about to leave to go find someplace to stock shelves, but before I could, the tall skeleton asked me a question.

“WHAT IS THIS?” He was holding up some macaroni shell pasta and was looking at me confused.

“Ummmm……… that's pasta sir.” how did he not know that that was pasta?

“SO YOU ARE SAYING THAT THESE ARE A FORM OF SPAGHETTI?”

I guess that he has never heard of other pastas before. How should I explain this…..Oh!

“Its like this. Imagine that each type of noodles are related, but are slightly different, like lions and tigers. Lions and tigers are both big cats, but are slightly different. So now, imagine the various pastas. They are made of the same thing, for the most part, but they also have slight differences, like the way they look. Does that make sense?”

He brought the different noodle packages he was holding up, looking at them with awe. “WOW…….. I DIDN’T THINK OF IT THAT WAY!” then, cocking an eyebrow? Somehow…. He said “THESE NOODLES AREN'T MADE OF BIG CATS………..  
ARE THEY?”

I couldn't help it. I smiled. then I started laughing. Alot. the look on his face was just priceless, I was laughing so hard I started crying, gasping for breath. I finally managed to huff out

“I-I honestly don’t know. It’s illegal, so I don’t think the chances are very high, so you should be fine.” I said this in a very joking tone, but this skeleton looked at me, and then looked at the noodles in horror. Me realizing my mistake, I quickly moved to reassure him. “Mister I was joking! There are no big cats in those noodles. I’m sorry that I made you misunderstand.” I kinda stood there awkwardly. Putting my pointer fingers together.

I let out a sigh of relief when his horrified expression turned into one of major relief. I really didn't want to ruin what seemed to be this poor person's favorite meal. After all, He was really nice, and although I treat everyone nice, even if they don’t give me the same courtesy, I find it comforting to know about who are also nice, and didn't want to ruin that.  
Once again, my trail of thought was stopped by this outgoing skeleton, which I was grateful for. I didn't want him to be annoyed by me because he thought that I was not paying attention to him on purpose.

“THAT WAS A VERY, INTERESTING INTERACTION, WOULDN'T YOU SAY?” He was smiling cheerfully, (Somehow) with the innocence of a child. It was rather cute and funny, and I couldn't help but smile with him. Although, my smile was much more shy than his beaming one.  
“Is there anything else you guys need?” I asked, still smiling.  
“Ketchup”  
Shocked, I shoot up like a bullet. The other skeleton had spoke, but He was behind me? He could have just moved behind me while I was talking to his brother, (the tall skeleton said they were brothers right?) but although his brothers personality was distracting, I was pretty sure that I would have seen him move.  
I turned around to see him smirking.  
“And I guess,” he took his bony hand out of his pocket and started counting on his fingers,” a bottle of mustard, and a bottle of honey. Did I miss anything Bro?" “NOT THAT I KNOW OF!”  
He continues his finger counting  
“than I guess that's it.” He then looks to me, still smiling.  
“Where can I find all of those things? and If you don’t mind me asking, what's your name? I don’t really want to sound rude.” He said it in a light hearted and funny tone.  
Technically, I was supposed to wear a name tag, but I am very shy, and didn’t really feel comfortable having strangers use my name in conversation, whether it be calm and polite talk, or them screaming my name mixed in with nasty profanitys. But, for these people I’d make an exception, partially because they cared enough to ask, and partly because Of how nice they have been to me so far. Plus, technically I have to tell them.  
“If I tell you, will you tell me your names to? I have been calling you two mister and sir this entire time, and I wouldn't want to be rude either..…..” “I don't think you have to worry about being rude little lady” my hair turned up.. oh…  
I turned chalk white. Oh god….. Not again……..calm down Rose…… he didn't do it…. Hes nice………

 

I was trapped in a horrible flashback.  
The rain was plenty cold…. I still cant believe its still raining! ! hope that the monster i gave my umbrella to is okay...  
Not looking where im going, i run into someone (no!…don't remember……)  
straightening back up, I look at the person I ran into. I knew him, we go to school together, and I know his name, Jack, but by no means were we friends. In fact, we were quite the opposite. It was him yesterday who was bullying that monster. after looking around real quick i find that he has some people who were also rather large. One or two I also knew from school, but, for the most part, the other people were slightly older. These guys were definitely part of the major street gang. It seems that Jack wasn't very happy about me defending the poor monster. Better not make this a big confrontation… is these were apart of the big street gang, they aren't known for being friendly

“I'm sorry for running into you, jack ” hoping that that would be that, i tried to walk by.  
“I don't think you should be worrying about being rude now, little lady” jack grabbed my small arm, and wrenched it, causing me to wince. With his other hand he pushed my chin up to face him.  
“Where do you think you're going, Rose?”  
“Home……..?”  
I tried getting my hand away, and he just let go, evil humor in his eyes. His other friends where quietly chuckling.  
"Sorry sweetheart, but your not going home for quite a while!” I paled.

“What d-do you mean?”  
Now the entire group was laughing.

“Come on! It'll be fun! We will show you more action than those monster's give you”  
“W-what?" oh god…… they can’t mean……

 

I manage to escape the horrid flashback, but not without having to witness things I had wanted to forget. But still, I wasn't quite done. I needed to calm down, which was easier said than done.

 

By the time I was out, I was beading with sweat, and taking in labored breathes like I had just ran a mile.   
The two skeletons were looking at me with concern, making me grimace. 

_Great... Just what I had wanted to avoid._

  
I was seriously……..having a panic attack, over a single sentence? How far I have fallen…..  
Meanwhile, these two skeletons were trying their best to calm me the heck down, but were having no such luck. It would have been hilarious, except it wasn't.

At all.

Whatsoever.

 

“BROTHER, WHAT IN THE HOLY SPAGHETTI DID YOU DO?!! IS SHE HAVING WHAT HUMANS CALL, A SEIZURE? OH MY GOODNESS! WHAT DO WE DO?!!”

 

“I don’t know bro! I must have been what I said!”

 

“SHOULD WE GET HELP? THE OTHER HUMANS HERE MIGHT KNOW WHAT TO DO!?”

  
“D-don’t,” I managed to wheeze out.

 

 If they were to try to get help from the manager, the only other person working right now, if wouldn't be good. Not only is he a blatant racist, he also doesn't exactly like me either. If they tried to talk to him, he would probably call police and say they caused me to be like this, and they would get in trouble, which although that technically is the case, it wasn't there fault, and this all was just a rather stupid thing on my part. He wouldn't just get angry and hurt them though, he would also try and get me in trouble for disturbance. And as mean as it is, I wouldn't do a thing about it, and he knows it. I’m too timid and complacent. I’d probably even say I was sorry for causing the disturbance. I’m so naive that I wouldn't even be angry with myself, or with him to say anything back. It is how I have been sense what happened, and that's probably how it will be for the rest of my life. But it doesn't mean I have to let these poor guys get in trouble for my stupid problems.

“I-i need…..water”

Immediately, The taller skeleton leapt into action. He touched my shoulder, and literally jolted up into the air, like he got zapped. “OH OOPS! SORRY! I FORGOT TO ASK IF I CAN CARRY YOU FIRST…”

 

He was trying to play it off, but something about why he jolted back seemed strange. They way he did it, his hand came off of me like I was hot to touch. I quickly blew it off though, and I nodded my head. He quickly scooped me up, and actually straight up sprinted to the water fountain, which was on the opposite side of the aisle. He then quickly, but carefully set me down on my feet. I started guzzling water like there was no tomorrow. whenever i have a panic attack, i start breathing really fast, and tear up. By forcing myself to drink water, it slows down my breathing, and my body naturally focuses on making sure i don't choke, essentially tricking my body to return to normal.  
Feeling better, I took some nice, deep breaths.

 

“ARE YOU FEELING BETTER HUMAN?”

 

I looked up to see the tall skeleton looking at me anxiously, as well as his brother right beside him. Although the shorter one was smiling, he definitely was as anxious as his brother. He was sweating bullets.

 

“I'm definitely feeling better, i'm really sorry for worrying you,”

 

I Look at them. they both look awfully worried….

 

_Oh jeez…….. I didn't want to do that! now i feel awful!_

 

“If you don’t mind me asking, what happened?”

 

I looked over to the shorter one nervously. This is what i was worried about…. How am I supposed to explain to them that something the shorter one said caused me to have a flashback to when…..it happened…..? I……. can't. I won't lie, but I won't tell the whole truth either. Although these guys are nice, I can’t exactly tell them my whole life story. They probably would look at me a whole lot differently. I would probably scare them away. It would be nice if we remained friendly after this.

 

“I-I just got really nervous, and something you said reminded me of an unfriendly encounter I had with someone. It's not your fault in any way.”

 

I couldn't tell if the smaller skeleton believed me, as his expression was unreadable, but I continued anyway.

 

“I'm sorry to have put you guys in that situation like that, but I'm very grateful for your help. Do you want me to show you were the rest of the stuff you're looking for is?”

 

“As long as you are alright….”

 

I take them to the area with condiments, and they pick out the various things they were looking for, all while the taller one is chatting to me about how great it is to make a new human friend.

 

“IT'S SO COOL TO MEET A NICE HUMAN! WE DON’T ALWAYS GET TREATED NICE BY PEOPLE. BUT YOU DEFINITELY ARE REALLY NICE!”

 

I blush. He really is very sweet!

 

“It's nice to know that I made someone's day,”

 

“WOULD YOU SAY THAT WE ARE FRIENDS?”

 

I was taken aback by this. I never exactly had anyone just straight up ask to be my friend before, and although i've only known him for about twenty minutes tops, I can tell that he is a nice person. Besides, Who could say no to this cutie?

 

“I would be glad to be your friend!” almost immediately, his eyes lit up.

 

“WOWIE! THIS IS AMAZING! WAIT UNTIL I TELL BLUE! I THINK YOU WOULD BE GREAT FRIENDS WITH HIM TO!”

 

I smiled shyly

 

“Well, if he is as nice as you are, I'm certain that you right”.

 

Once they had collected everything they were going to buy, I lead them to the checkout lane, silently hoping and praying that when we turned the corner, my manager wouldn't be there. Unfortunately, it seemed as if luck was not by my side at this moment. As soon as we turned, my manager looked up from what he was doing and smirked evilly. I was certain that something bad was going to be said.

 

“Well, look at that, it seems that you finally found a group to belong to, Rose.:”

 

The Venom and sarcasm in his voice was laid on so thick, that it was quite obvious what he meant in that statement. Unfortunately, it seemed that the taller skeleton, as innocent as he was, he didn't know how hateful the comment really was, and took it literally.

 

“OF COURSE WE'RE FRIENDS! WHY WOULDN'T WE BE! SHE'S REALLY NICE!”

 

My manager definitely wasn't expecting that someone would take his sentiment literally. His evil smirk quickly changed into an angry scowl.

 

“You seem to know Rose so well. You're probably more than friends then, huh”

 

That statement instantly made me blush. We he implying that we had…. Why would he say that!? Just as I was about to defend my to new friends, the taller skeleton once again spoke.

 

“WELL, IT WOULD BE KINDA FAST, IF YOU WERE IMPLYING THAT………...WE ARE BEST FRIENDS! I MEAN, I KNOW I JUST MET HER TODAY, BUT THAT IS STILL COOL! IF WE MOVE IT THIS SPEED, WE WILL BE BEST BEST FRIENDS IN NO TIME!”

 

My manager looked shocked for a second, then his face changed to a deadpan expression.

 

“You know what I meant”

 

“WAIT…...SO YOUR SAYING THAT………. WERE BEST BEST FRIENDS ALREADY? BUT THAT'S JUST INSANE! NO ONE HAS EVER BECAME BEST BEST FRIENDS WITH ME IN ONE DAY, NOT EVEN OUR PET ROCK!”

 

At this point my Manager could not remain expressionless any longer. He began to start fuming. He was very angry, to say the least. Honestly, that was an understatement. Hes kinda well known for having a temper.

 

“You think this is funny, huh tuff guy?! Don’t you go smart mouthing with me, or you’ll end up as dust in a ditch somewhere, just like you should! I was right! You do fit right in with them Rose,”

 

he again focused on me, smirking

 

“maybe you’ll be lucky, and they’ll think you're to ugly to rape.”

 

Those words hit the room like a bombshell. My eyes widened, and my world began to collapse around me. Why…?

 

“I still can’t believe the prince liked you. To bad you threw that away, huh?”

 

Was he right? Was I simply picking from straws? I'm not meant to be happy, am I…. I felt something inside me die, just a little. I'm not meant to be happy. No one will love me……

 

I pulled myself out of my looming despair. I couldn't think of such things! I've made some friends, and i need to stick up for them! I felt determined… to be kind and stick up for my new friends. Suddenly, it felt like the entire store got a lot colder. Did the heater turn off? I looked up. Both skeletons looked angry, but something was different about the shorter one. I thought I could barely make out a blue light coming from his left eye socket. I quickly turned to my manager, and tried to gather all the anger I could muster. I have found that over the years, I can’t get myself to get angry. If someone bullies me, i can't will myself to feel spiteful. When I try, it hurts me in my heart. I can never will myself to do it, and I don't know why. There is one, and only one exception to this. I will stick up for people who can’t. For people would get hurt if they tried. I would take a beating if it meant they didn't have to. In this case, I know that if they stick up for themselves, there is a high chance that my manager could call the police and get them arrested. If I fight however, I would probably lose my job, as the manager is best buds with the higher ups, but that's a fine price to pay compared to what could happen to my new friends. There is no other choice.

 

“How dare you say such evil things about these people! These guys have been nicer to me than You ever have, and they have only me for twenty minutes! You should be ashamed of yourself!”

 

I could see the shock on his face. He has never heard me raise my voice, and no matter what horrible things he does to me, I never fight back. But for me to raise my voice like this, It obviously surprised him. But I could also see the shock on my two new friends faces. The blue light that was coming for the shorter skeletons eye disappeared, and the store warmed back up. I looked back at my manager just in time to see his face contort. His shock was gone, and was instead replaced by disgust.

 

“you...little….Bitch! You were lucky that we gave you a job here! No one was willing to hire you! The only reason we did was because _I_ was feeling charitable! we could have just as easily thrown you out, or even better yet, call Jack and his friends! after all, I have a feeling that they would  _love_ to see you pretty little face again after last time...."

he paused, as if he had a thought, then his smile widened to a grin.

 "But.... you don't have to worry. I won't call them as long as your mine for a while."

 

his evil grin was nightmare fuel enough, but those words… I had to fight myself from crying. 

 

_No! Keep going! We need justice for this!_

 

“I would never do such a thing! Now, leave me and my friends alone, so they can check out and then leave!”

 

Once again, his emotions flipped like someone turning a coin, from an evil grin to a hateful scowl 

 

“You ungrateful little brat! Not only are you fired, but I'm going to be having a friendly conversation with Jack about where you live as well. If the apartment manager doesn't kick you out, my friend certainly will. You need to learn that there are some people you just can't mess with!  Have fun packing your stuff and trying to leave as fast as you can, because you're not going to be able to hide.”

 

My eyes widened like a deer in headlights.

  
_Oh god! He knows where I live? I need to leave now! This isn't good, I can't have this happen again!_

 

My knees shook, and I took a wobbly step back, almost falling to the ground, until the taller skeleton caught me softly. In a fog of frightful thoughts, one thing cut through like a knife.

  
“Its alright kid. We will help you pack.”

 

I looked up to see the shorter skeleton looking rather intensely at my now ex manager. He quickly stopped looking at my manager and moved to help me walk, just as the taller one quickly placed the things they planned on buying on the checkout counter, while moving to step in front of my ex managers line of sight, so he couldn't see me. I grabbed my work hat and vest and set them on the counter. As I started to leave, with my two new friends in tow, the smaller on by my side, and the taller one close behind, I could now barely hear the sound of my now ex manager shouting insults at me, as it was instead drowned out by my focused attention on the fact that two near strangers were being nicer to me then anyone else has in years.

I continued to think about this as we walked past the automatic shutter doors, and into the warm light of dawn.


	2. Chap 2  (Meeting the skelebros) part one: a new beginning

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Rose leaves her old work with Sans and Papyrus, and the three all leave for her apartment. 
> 
> (oh boy does this summary suck, sorry)

As the shutter door closed behind us, I thought of what to ask my new friends. After my panic attack, we kinda forgot to exchange names, but they definitely got to hear mine as it was laced with vulgar by my ex manager, and I honestly felt disappointed not being able to tell them my name myself. I really hope that there opinion of me wasn't tarnished by my manager dragging my name in the dirt. But something tells me that I don't need to worry about them thinking poorly of me.

 

Were all monsters like this? I had heard by the few people who were willing to talk to me, (these people usually aren't raciest either) that monster were a rather friendly and fun loving race, and that there king and queen really cared about each and every monster under there protection. If monster all acted as these two did, then maybe My ex manager was actually right. Maybe I’d be accepted by these people? I definitely seems like I won’t have a choice, because my not so nice ‘friend’ definitely wasn't fibbing. The gang that runs rampant around this area isn't exactly looking for me right now, because they thought that my last punishment was enough….. But if they heard that I said some not so nice things, and it was to protect monster's…..again… then I would definitely return on there radar.

 

I've heard about the things they’ve done to people who openly accept monster's, and although I would definitely not call what happened to me last time ‘merciful’ there are much worse things they could have done…..And this is my second offence. I'm definitely not going to be let off ‘easy’ as they so handsomely put it when they left me bloodied, bruised, and scarred, not only by the physical torture they put me threw, but by the mental torture as well. What they did to my dad….. I have to find a place to escape to…. And fast. For all I know, my ex manager has just began calling them now. I am in a very bad situation. I can’t let them hurt me again…. For my dads sake and mine.

 

“ARE YOU ALRIGHT HUMAN FRIEND?”

 

I looked up to see my taller skeleton friend looking down at me, and he definitely looked nervous.

 

“I-I'll be okay…. It just means I'm going to have to find a new place to live…”

 

“SO WHAT HE SAID WAS TRUE THEN? YOU REALLY CAN’T LIVE IN YOUR HOME ANYMORE? BUT…. HE SHOULDN'T HAVE THE AUTHORITY TO DO THAT!”

 

I smiled sadly.

 

“You’re right. But its okay, I'm sure I will be able to figure something out...”

 

“Why don’t you come live with us?” My eyes widened. I turned to look at the shorter skeleton.

 

“WHAT! No way! I could never force that upon anyone! Let alone someone I've Just met!”

 

“Well, think of it this way. Why can rent it out to you, if it makes you feel better.”

 

“But what will I pay you with? Pocket change? No….no...no! I won’t force that upon you! I’d just be talking up space!”

 

I’ve heard that monster are hospitable, but this is insane! There telling me that i can move in with them, but we literally just met today!

 

“WELL, HUMANS DO IT ALL THE TIME, RIGHT? I MEAN, THEY RENT OUT THERE HOMES TO COMPLETE STRANGERS SOMETIMES, RIGHT? OR IS THAT JUST IN THE MOVIES?”

 

“Well in the movies, the main character still pays there part of the rent. I wouldn't be able to do that. Besides, Didn't you guys say you have housemates? Are they okay with

 

some stranger moving in?”

 

“WELL I'D GUESS THAT EDGE MIGHT NOT BE HAPPY WITH THE ARRANGEMENT…. BUT-”

 

“It's our house. He will deal with it. Besides, it our fault that you lost your home in the first place. We might as well make it right.”

 

“Oh…but…...okay….” I turned to look at the short, smiling skeleton. “You guys are so okay with me going to live in your home, most people would think you're trying to kidnap me! But, I guess I don’t mind…”

 

I looked at the skeletons, and smiled.

 

“But I will do the chores for you, at least. I have to find some way to pay you, after all.”

 

“I GUESS THAT WORKS! WE CAN DO THE CHORES TOGETHER! WE COULD BE MAIDS! BLUE WILL PROBABLY WANT TO HELP TO, SO WE CAN ALL WORK TOGETHER!”

 

I smiled at my taller friend.

 

“If you guys want to, then sure! it's not like i can stop you,”

 

I paused. Wasn’t I forgetting something? Ohh yeah! That's right!

 

“By the way, may I get both your names? We kinda forgot before, and I can’t exactly be calling my new house mates mister and sir the entire time,”

 

“OH YEAH! YOU’RE RIGHT! WE FORGOT, DIDN'T WE? WELL, HUMAN, MY NAME IS PAPYRUS!”

 

“And my name is sans. What's yours?”

 

I looked at the short skeleton curiously.

 

“Huh? Bu-but, I thought you heard my name from my manager?”

 

“Did we Papyrus? I don’t remember hearing it, do you?”

 

“OH, MOST DEFINITELY NOT SANS, I DON’T REMEMBER ANYTHING OF THE SORT!”

 

My two new friends were trying very hard to keep a straight face.

 

I might as well roll with it, right?

 

“Well, okay then! My names Rose, nice to meet you!”

 

\-------

 

“Wow….! This is your car?”

 

I carefully closed the door to Papyrus's rather lavish car. It was painted a rather eye catching reddish orange, like Papyrus scarf, and it looked quite expensive.

 

“COOL, RIGHT? WHEN I WAS IN THE UNDERGROUND, I FOUND A CAR BED THAT LOOKED JUST LIKE THIS! I STILL HAVE IT TO! WHEN I FOUND OUT THAT MY BED WAS AN NONFUNCTIONAL REPLICA OF A REAL CAR, I FOUND A DEALERSHIP THAT HAD ONE, AND BOUGHT IT!”

 

“Awesome…… I’m afraid to put my feet down, just because I’m afraid that I'll stain the floor……”

 

“OH DON’T WORRY ABOUT IT, THAT'S WHAT THE FLOOR IS FOR! BESIDES, I HAVE A SPECIAL CLEANER SPRAY THAT GETS OUT STAINS. RED HAD ACCIDENTALLY SPILLED SOME MUSTARD IN HERE ONCE. ALL I DID WAS SPRAY A LITTLE OF THE STUFF, AND IT CAME RIGHT OUT!”

 

“If you say so……” I lightly set my feet down.

 

“So, where is your home? We will need to get your stuff.”

 

“Oh yeah…….OH no! I forgot to ask, am I allowed to have cats?”

 

“Yeah. You may have to be careful though. It’s very likely that Edges cat won’t be happy about it……” Sans shuddered.

 

“I’m really good with animals, but I will keep it in mind. I’m sure that his cat won’t be mean on purpose. Anyways, I live only across the street, in that apartment complex. I don’t

 

own a car, so I had to live close to my work,”

 

I pointed to across the street. Papyrus nodded, and put the key into the ignition. He then started to drive through the still empty parking lot, and onto the intersection, where except for the early birds, there was little to no one on the road. As he waited for the proper time to cross into the parking lot of the apartment complex,  
I looked around the car, and began to worry a little.

 

“Will we have enough space? There is some old furniture that I can throw away, but I have a rather nice TV that I use for my gaming station, A big crate full of Various games a well as an Xbox one, and computer, all of which are pretty big. I have a couple other smaller gaming systems as well. And all though I don't exactly have the normal female wardrobe, and I honestly don’t care if I have to stuff it into a suitcase, it's gonna take up some space. Not to mention some of my other stuff, as well as the things for my cats.”

 

“DO NOT WORRY! IT'S A LOT MORE SPACIOUS THAN IT LOOKS! I’M MOST CERTAIN THAT WE WILL HAVE NO TROUBLE GETTING EVERYTHING IN MY CAR.”

 

He quickly was able to cross and get into the rather unkempt apartment complex that I called home for so long.

 

“WHICH AREA SHOULD I PULL UP TO?”

 

I looked at the best place to pull out so it wouldn't be as hard to put stuff into the car.

 

“You should probably pull up over here. Luckily, my apartment is close to the door, so it shouldn't be hard to get all of my things into your car,”

 

He pulled up, and we all got out. I led to the complex door, and opened it. Sure enough, my ex manager wasn't lying. I really was getting evicted. There was an eviction notice taped to my door. If I had been feeling sarcastic, I would have laughed. After all, that was _fast!_   But, as much as I wanted to, I just couldn't. I Walked up to my door, and looked at it gloomily.

My home. My happy home. The home that I fled to when I was old enough to leave my awful foster home and explore the world. The home I escaped to when I had a bad day at work. The place that was all my own, where I could decide who could come in and who stayed out. It was my little world, and It was something that I was proud of. A place where I had my own mini garden, and a place were I took care of animals, and I could draw, and sing, and…….. Properly mourn my father. My foster parents constantly told me how lucky I was that they were willing to take me in. They liked to shove it down my throat, constantly tell me that I would never amount to anything…. But worst of all, they made fun of my late father for letting me think that people should be nice to monsters, and that because I thought that monster's were equal, and was vocal about it, I was attacked, and beaten…... and he was murdered…..  
And worst of all, I could never get myself to say anything! I let them stomp on my father's memory and good name, and all I could do was run away…  
And just like that, the tears began to fall, slowly at first, then faster, until I couldn't keep it quiet any longer. I began to cry. Why am I so weak? Why can’t I fight back? I’m so sorry….. Dad….

Suddenly, I was embraced by two pairs of skeletal hands.

 

“ITS ALRIGHT TO CRY ROSE, SOMETIMES SAD THINGS HAPPEN, AND THERE'S NOTHING YOU CAN DO BUT LET IT OUT. BUT WHATEVER HAPPENS, WE WILL BE THERE TO HELP,”

 

“My bro is right. No one will be able to hurt you anymore,”

 

So, I just continued to quietly sob, getting tears and snot everywhere. But for the first time in such a long time, no one cared. They continued to let me cry, all the while rubbing my back, and every time I would snivel and tell them how sorry I was for for the mess I was making, they told my not to worry. After a little bit, a finally wore myself out.  
“Th-thanks you g-uys. Really. I can’t thank you enough for your kindness, and for everything. And although it wasn't really your job, I really needed that...and...I”

 

“Honestly you don’t need to thank us anymore. You’ve thanked us enough, and we did this of our own free will. Don’t worry yourself about it.”

 

I sighed, and looked once again at my door. But this time, I didn't feel as sad. I remember all the happy times I had, and then I look at my new friends. This is a new chapter of my life. I’m going to meet new people, see new places, and I have a feeling that new memories will be made. There's no need to cry! I don't have to forget. I sniffle, then I close my eyes and I smile bright.

 

“Let's get this done! Shall we?”

I take out my keys, find the right one, and put it into the keyhole. And just like that, My door is unlocked.

 

I open the door.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> yet again, sorry for any miss spellings or run-on sentences. This chapter is a little small, and I'm really sorry about that, but I needed a good spot to cut it off. The next chapter is going to be much larger to make up for it.  
> \------  
> Rose be like- This is strange, I better not be walking into a kidnapping situation  
> ...in papyrus's mind.... COOL! OUR FRIEND IS COMING TO LIVE WITH US! THIS IS SWEET! HMM... THAT'S STILL WEIRD THOUGH, WHY'D SHE SHOCK ME? OH WELL, GUESS I'LL ASK SANS LATER.  
> Sans be like: why the flip not? 
> 
> Meanwhile..... at the sceles house  
> Blue-WHY DO I FEEL LIKE SOMEONE IS TALKING ABOUT ME?  
> Edge-GOD DAM IT! ME TO! I COULD SEE SOMEONE TALKING ABOUT ME, BUT WHO THE HELL WOULD TALK ABOUT SOMEONE AS LAME AS YOU?!  
> Stretch-(TRIGGERED!) now listen here buddy... you and I are going to have a talk......


	3. Chap 2  (Meeting the skelebros) part two- to many flashbacks

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Rose, Papyrus, and Sans get to work on packing all of her things to leave. As soon as she walks in the door, she begins remembering how she found her cats. As Rose starts to pack her room, she remembers more about the only monster she had ever encountered before Sans an Papyrus, and begins to realize that that monster may have actually been Sans.

 

 

 

           It feels like an eternity sense I was last home. So many things have happened today, I met two new friends, Sans and Papyrus, Got kicked out of my job and now my apartment, my friends told me I could live at their home, and I just had such a wild ride. Many big changes made in one day. Who would’ve thought?

It took my keys out of my apartment door, and led my friends inside. 

“WOW ITS SO NEAT IN HERE! I LIKE IT! IT LOOKS LIKE YOU COULD LEARN SOMETHING FROM HER SANS!” I looked at Papyrus and smiled sheepishly.

“Thanks papyrus, but I'm going to have to be honest and say my room is quite a bit worse. I just keep this room clean because I didn't want The kittens to get sick,”

“KITTENS? WHERE ARE THEY?”

As if on cue, a rather grumpy and sleepy mother rounded the corner from the bathroom, along with some rather adorable and fluffy kitty beasts. These guys had just been weaned, and were learning where to find the magical substance ‘dry food’ from their mother. She led the waddling group right to a bowl of dry food I had set out for them. These kibble were small and could be eaten by the little groups tiny teeth. There mother had a bowl of bigger kibble on the table where the kittens couldn't reach. As I looked at them I was happy to see that Magic, the former runt of the litter, was doing excellent. Although he was still smaller than his brother and sister, he was doing so much better than when I first found them in the alley between the apartment complex and a different building. I Remember how It had went.

 It had been a chilly night, and as I was about to enter the apartment complex after throwing away some garbage that had started to pile up in my home, when I had heard the mewling of tiny kittens. I rushed over to the alley and found the little kittens and their mother huddled on a broken mattress and its musty blankets. The kittens were maybe only a couple of days old, and it seemed likely that there mother thought that the alley was safe enough to transport them and keep her little family safe. Unfortunately, The night was colder than the day, and without protection from the elements, it was likely that the kittens would freeze. I had leapt into action, darting into my apartment and grabbing a box and an old sweater that had seen better days, as well as an unused pair of heavy duty cleaning gloves and rushed back to the alley. I calmly and slowly moved toward the mother and her kittens, trying to look as non threatening as possible, and surprisingly, the mother did not hiss to signal that she wanted me to back away. She just looked at my tiredly. I counted in total three kittens. A small litter, but it was possible. I quickly first came close, and ever so slowly pet the mother, to show that I was not a threat. She didn't act feral, So I sadly assumed that someone must have thrown her out. Now that I knew that She was fine with my presence, I carefully picked up and examined each kitten. The first two were just cold, but not under nearly as much a threat as the third. The little guy had been so small, so cold, that I feared the worst. But, I felt that it wasn't fair to give up in the little one, so I softly scooped all three kittens and set them in the box, all the while there mother looking at me calmly. She then rose up, and jumped into the box. Making sure all of the boxes current occupants were set for travel, I hurriedly, but carefully went inside the apartment complex, then into my apartment. I opened the already unlocked door, and closed it behind me. I swiftly grabbed towels from the bathroom and set them down along the tiled floor, then grabbed another towel to put inside the box. I then grabbed the box and set it on the bathroom floor, now padded with towels.  I needed to get these little guys warm, and fast. Luckily, I had a kitten incubator that was in my closet, that i never really got to use. It looks like I was finally have a purpose for it. I quickly went into my rather messy room and went into my even more messy closet, pushing some stuff aside until I found the incubator, in its glory. 

 

_I hope it still works.._

 

I carefully unwedged the incubator and its cord out from under a pile of books,then pulled it down. I patted off a bit of dust that was on it, Then quickly ran back into my bathroom, careful not to trip on the clothes that where on my floor. Once back into the bathroom, I went right to work on plugging in the incubator, hoping and praying that it still worked. Thankfully, I saw its lights turn on, and I let out a sigh of relief. Now, I will first need to rub the kittens abit, and also just inspect them closer. I picked up the other two, And they were definitely just a little cold, which, while still dangerous, were going to be fine once they warmed up. They had no cuts, and there umbilical cord had been detached successfully. I put them both in the incubator at the mother watched. The third however, was a different story. This little guy wasn't moving, and he needed immediate help.  I refused to give up on him, and I started to rub his skin to get his blood moving. 

 

I rubbed his body for a couple minutes, but I felt nothing. 

 

“Come on little guy, don’t give up! Stay determined! You have so much to live for.”

 

I couldn't let this little guy die! He's under my care now, so I am responsible for his well being. _Come on……._

 

I felt something inside me start to hurt. If this little guy died under my care, I’d feel like I had failed him, and it would be on my conscience forever. It was actually kind of stupid. Many people who help animals don’t get attached simply so they don’t feel as much, or even anything, when they fail to save the animals.

 

At the shelter I volunteered for, There were a few people who would simply give up. they didn't want to become too attached,  so they wouldn't give the animals there full energy, and therefore quite a few animals died under there care that could have been saved if they tried harder. When I asked my only friend, Sam about it, he had to quietly explain to me that these people would say that there were just too many animals to care for, and they just had to work with the ones with the best chances. These people often had the highest animals saved, but the other stat they never talked about was the fact that they also often had the highest mortality rate for animals as well.

 

Once I started volunteering however, the animals they gave up on were being saved by me, instead. It started making them look bad, and therefore they began making fun of me for being a softy who can’t handle death.  I always felt like my brain cells were dying in there presence, because of these stupid remarks. Who the flip says that?! That's the stupidest thing that I had ever heard. Of course I didn't like it when animals died, especially when they were treated unfairly their entire lives, which was often the case, and when we found them and took them in, just to be given up on, just because it would be more difficult to save them!

 

It drove me nuts, but I couldn't say anything, and I couldn't stand up for myself. That's where Sam came in. When he came in and started volunteering, he immediately started demanding to know why the other people were giving up some animals. Then, he started to tell these people why what they were was wrong. In excruciating detail. It was insane. I know that some people may be able to do that easily, but in my eyes, it was the best thing ever. Many people I know take the ability to speak out against people without getting scared or freezing up for granted.

 

for example, there are entitled people of the world, who use their complete lack of empathy to scream at fast food workers. But this person didn't use his ability to speak out for something that would benefit himself, but instead used it to tell some mean people off. Almost immediately, I started to admire Sam. He had actually gotten the people who were doing this to stop! Of course, because of this, the speed of helping the animals went down a bit, but that was well worth it. The mortality rates were at an all time low. Of course, this was before what happened………… BUt, I still believe that I need to believe. Now, I thought of Sam, My kind but outspoken friend, and I looked down at the kitten. I would not give up.

The little guy may look dead, but there was a spark inside him. I don’t know how, but I could feel it.

Was I being delirious from how late it was, or was the room heating up? 

I felt the warmth seep to my fingertips, and the faintest, softest, barely noticeable green glow enveloped the kitten. _Da flip?_ Now I’m thinking I must be tripping balls, and I looked around, trying to see if the room looks fuzzy. Thankfully, or maybe not, it is, just a little. I sigh, and continue rubbing the kitten.  _This little guy needs a name. Maybe by calling out something, he will just rise and awaken anime style?_  Oh boy, I have to be _reeaalllly tired for me to whip out the stupid memes. I’m going to need a coffee._

I shake my head, trying to wake myself up, and think. I look down, still seeing green.

 _I might as well call him that, then._  

 

“Come on Magic, I need you to start moving, buddy. Don’t give up!”

 

I started to see movement. It was small, but it meant the kitten was alive.

 

 I rubbed him a little more, then put him in the incubator so he could warm up.

 

Just like that, the green faded away.

 

I watched as he slowly but surely squiremed in close next to his two littermates. I set a timer for about ten minutes, and in the meantime, I checked on there mother. She was watching them carefully, and she most definitely looked exhausted. Probably even more exhausted than I was.

 

I came close, and examined her carefully. She herself looked alright, just really tired. I reached my hand into the box and carefully pet her with my gloved hands. She purred quietly, almost closing her eyes, but then she snapped back awake. She refused to sleep. She definitely needed rest, and this was going to be a long night for us both. For now, I would let her relax, as I would take care of the kittens.

 

I set out some water and cat food that I occasionally used to feed any strays or community cats that weren't able to get food. She ate it up ravenously, and then took a drink of clean water. She paused, looked at me, then continued to eat. Once she was done, she jumped back into her box, and went back to watching her kittens. I went into my small kitchen, and made myself some much needed coffee. It was the instant stuff, so all I did was microwave some water for two minutes, and scoop some of the powder into the water and stir. I added all the ‘necessary’ extras like milk and sugar, then, still sipping, I went back into my now occupied bathroom. 

 

throughout the night, I noticed the kittens getting better and better, until the could be put with their mother. They needed to be fed, and although I did have kitten formula that I used when I helped at the animal shelter, I wasn't quite as good as their mothers milk. Thankfully my apartment is well heated, so they would be fine to stay with their mother for the night. I gave the tired mother one last pat, then took off my gloves, changed my clothes and went to bed on the couch. Even with the coffee in my system, I went out like a light, and slept like a log. Surprisingly, I didn’t have any nightmares either, which I saw as an absolute win.

 

Now, about five weeks later, and all three kittens are doing great.

 

“WOWIE! THERE JUST SO ADORABLE!” 

 

Papyrus was so jittery with excitement, that I couldn't help but smile. 

 

“Yeah, there really cute, and energetic. They really are quite the handful.”

 

All three of us looked on for a second or to before we snapped out of the cuteness trance.

 

“Well, let's get to work then. We can cuddle these guys when are about to go. I’m thinking that we should probably get the gaming stuff first, and leave my clothes and stuff in my room for last, because that will be the hardest part.”

 

We set to work. We started by first unplugging everything, and putting all of the cords in with the crate of games. Once we had everything unplugged, all we had to do was lift the stuff and put it in the car, right? Easy.

 

I tried to lift my tv, which although I was able to lift it before, it suddenly became heavy, probably because the lift guys did most of the work.

 

“Urrg….. How… are we going too...*huff*.. lift this all the way to the car?”

 

I was surprised to find that the tv suddenly became weightless. Had my workouts finally paid off? I Quickly found out the culprit. The tv was floating, and was enveloped with a blue light!

 

“HuuuH!....? What the….!’ I turned to see sans grinning at me casually. His left eye socket was letting out that blue light again, though this time, his pointer finger was also enveloped in the strange light as well. Is…. That what I think it is?

 

“Is that…...Magic?” 

 

If I is even possible, Sans grinned even more. If there's One thing I’ve learned, Its that Sans smiles _a lot_.

 

“Yup, its magic, blue magic to be precise. This form of magic is perfect for lazy people like me. It makes it possible for me to control the gravity of something, whether it be a tv, or a person.” He winked at me, then continued. “Maybe I can give you a ride sometime?”

 

I grinned. I’ve heard that monster magic is pretty sweet, and that some of the monster restaurants use monster magic to make amazing food, and I’ve also heard that green magic can heal wounds, but I’ve never really heard of magic that can be used to lift things! It must be a special form of magic.

 

“That sounds like lots of fun! But until then, It's definitely helpful that you can do that. Papyrus, can you use blue magic to?” 

 

I turned to see that papyrus was lifting my big box of games and cords, and was about to put my xbox in there too, when he turned to look at me.

 

“I CAN, BUT NOT NEARLY AS WELL AS SANS. I HAVE A FIRM BELIEF THAT BLUE MAGIC REQUIRES THAT YOU HAVE TO BE LAZY FOR IT TO WORK.” 

 

We continued to load everything into Papyrus car, and at last, my computer, gaming area, and pretty much the entire living room was cleared out. we threw away my rugged old couch and my broken table. I really should have thrown them out ages ago, but honestly I wasn't really able to get it by myself, and I didn't have anyone to help. As they were finishing up in the living room, I began stuffing everything I needed from my bathroom into a box. I honestly didn't have much, just some basic hygiene products, Like Shampoo and conditioner, as well as soaps I hadn't opened yet and some skin lotion I occasionally used for when my skin got to dry. I was on birth control because of how crazy my periods were without it, so I didn’t have to many pads, but I still had a box, just in case. I stuffed that, along with my birth control medication, at the bottom of my suitcase. No reason to have it at the top. I don’t want to accidentally scar poor innocent cinnamon roll Papyrus for life! That would be something that I would not be able to live with.

I got any other medications I had in my cupboard, like allergy pills, and my anxiety medication. That definitely should be stuffed at the bottom as well. 

I also grabbed my clean towels and stuffed them into the now full box, and put any dirty towels into a box that I had been using for a dirty cloths. I then grab my hairbrush, then look at the mirror and sigh. My impressively long hair was like a rats nest, and since I had stuffed it down my hoodie, it was making my neck itch. My hair went down all the way to my butt, but it was impossible to see because I had kind of hidden all of it while I worked. It was in a sort of ponytail, but it had definitely came loose throughout the day. Sense there's no need to get it out of my way anymore, I pulled it all out of the back of my hoodie, and pulled the ponytail out.

I bit my lip. _I'm definitely going to need more scrunchies._ I grab one of the few I hadn't found a way to lose yet, and tousled with my hair for a bit, until it at least looked presentable.  My hair was sometimes a pain to fix, as it would curl in whatever way it wanted, but whenever I took the time, It could look very nice. Unfortunately, now was not exactly one of those cases. It looked…..okay. Ish. I sigh, which I seemed to be doing quite a bit today, and continue looking around the bathroom.

 I double checked to make sure that everything was either taken with me or thrown away. I took off my shower curtain and threw it into the garbage bag I had been using for trash. The bathroom had been completely cleared out. I close my box of bathroom items, and grabbed a sharpie, marked it, and left it near the door so it could be collected and put into the door. The living room and bathroom had been completely cleared out, leaving only the kitchen, which was thankfully not going to be hard, and my room, which would be quite a chore. 

 

“HAVE YOU FINISHED THE BATHROOM?”

 

I looked to see that Papyrus had just come from his car, and had re-entered the apartment. He turned to look at me, then something happened. His face turned a light orange. Did he….. blush? I don't know that he could do that, but truthfully, I didn't know much. It seems that I’m finding new things about them every time I speak with them. But why _did_ he blush though? 

I turned an eyebrow, but said nothing about it. Maybe he’s just surprised to see my hair?

 

“Yes, it is cleared out. That box is all the stuff I’ll be talking with me. All we need to clean now is the kitchen, and my room,”

 

Still blushing, he hurriedly spoke again.

 

“I WILL DO THE KITCHEN FOR YOU, I’LL ASK YOU IF THERE IS ANYTHING YOU WANT ME TO THROW AWAY. YOU WORK ON YOUR ROOM.”

 

I try to quietly groan. This is going to be ‘fun’. I grab a couple boxes, a suitcase for my clothes, the dirty clothes box, and a big garbage bag for all of the trash I know I'm inevitably going to find.  I start off right away by just picking up my dirty clothes and stuffing it into a hamper. Next, trash. Already my room is looking a bit better. Who knew that was possible? I grab my sheets, blankets, pillows, and stuffed animals off of my bed.  It's still hilarious to me that I continue to have stuffed animals. I look at my stuffed unicorn, which aside from a bit of wear in tear, Is still looking good. I pick it up and smile. My dad had given it to me for my 5th birthday, and when I got it, I immediately fell in love with it. 

‘Magic is real, Rose. It's in our hearts, our souls, and it's what keeps each and every person together. we may not be able to use magic like we once could, but it's still around us.’

 

And just one day later, monsters were set free. When It happened, most people were shocked. But my dad simply smiled and shrugged.

 

‘Told you, Rose. Magic is real! And monster's still have the abilities that we lost.  It's because of how kind they are. We've lost our kindness with time. Maybe someday, with monsters here to guide us, We can get our kindness back?’

 

I had looked at my father starry eyed, and then back at my unicorn.

 

Many people were angry that monsters were back. Racism began to tear areas apart. Places that were only a little bad before suddenly became ran by street gangs, and monster areas were hard to get into, because people would try and cause havoc.  A group was founded that tried to take away monster rights. They said that monster magic was dangerous, and monsters should be sealed back into Mt. Ebott.

 

I wasn't fair. Because monster were kind, they had magic. But because of kindness, they wouldn't fight back. There peaceful protests were not taken seriously, and being a monster was becoming dangerous. They were attacked on the streets, and the Anti Monster Federation was creating weapons that could neutralize monster magic.  It was only when Asgore and Toriel held a meeting with our king did anything happen.

 

Our king was often ill, and didn't go outside much anymore, but Once our king heard what was happening to the monsters, he became very angry. For some reason, he hadn't heard what was happening. He quickly realized that many of his once loyal advisors were avid racists. Once he knew who had kept the news from him, they were not only fired from there positions, but where thrown into prison as well.  He quickly found non racist people to work as his advisors, and wrote a formal apology to all of monster kind, stating that what happened to them was unacceptable, and that he was already working on laws to fix the injustices.

Two laws were past. One gave monsters a huge chunk of area for them to live, and humans could only come in if they were background checked. Asgore and Toriel quickly asked for the king to change the law, as it didn't seem fair for monster's to be able to go into human areas, but not the other way around. The king understood, and changed it so that anyone could come in, but they could be taken out if they were causing a disturbance, and the king allowed Asgore and Toriel to chose a police force to make sure the was peace in the monster areas.

Asgore and toriel also asked the king if it could be allowed for humans to live in the monster area, so that it would be fair. Although the king had been surprised, he accepted the idea, and very quickly the monster became an amazing place to be. Toriel soon opened a monster and human school, and humans who liked the idea of peace with monster began sending their children there.

The second law was to make prejudice against monster's illegal. The human police force was supposed to enforce this law, and they did, for a time, but soon, they began to enforce it less and less in the worst areas of the city. The farther away you where from Mt. Ebott, the less it was enforced, and the worse those areas became. Many people of these far away areas began blaming monster for the crime in there area. Many of them became racist, and some of them even joined the Anti monster association.  Many monster supporters tried to flee to the monster areas, but it was hard. My father had wanted to leave, but there had been no guarantee that he would be able to find a job, and find a house where we could live. We were stuck. People who couldn't leave would often hide that they were supporters for there safety.

These people soon became known as the quiet supporters, and the only people who knew they were supporters were other supporters. They worked in a tight knit group, and these people would help each other with various things they needed, and they would often pool their money together so the people in most danger could leave.

People who had children or the elderly were often helped so they could leave to monster areas, as crime was making it unsafe for weaker people. Children stayed in groups, and elderly people had to have protection. The gangs would go for anyone.  Although we were technically in dangor, my dad did not leave. He stayed and helped people of higher threat and he would wait his turn. Years past, and it we were finally ready to leave. I was sixteen. We were close to the border now, as we slowly moved closer and closer. We could almost touch it….. We were so close….

 

One rainy day, I had seen a monster. unfortunately, Quite a few people had seen him first. they weren't friendly. I didn’t actually see he was a monster at first, as he was wearing a rather fluffy coat that covered his face, as well as gloves. He had a bit of clothing on every bit of his body. I only knew he was a monster when I saw Jack and his friends ganging up on him. 

 

“Where you goin’ monster? You lost? Your territory is that way,” 

 

Jack had pointed toward the mountain. Then he laughed, his friends joining in. 

 

“Ummm…. Thanks…”

 

 the monster was looking really scared, and he was too antsy to stay in one place for long. He definitely looked like he wanted to leave. I closed my umbrella, and I began walking closer. Then i started speed walking. I need to break this up before it becomes physical. 

 

“How about we show him some hospitality? After all, that's what we have to do by law, right?  Come here buddy, let's make an example of you. A warning of sorts. A pile of dust should do nicely!” 

 

I couldn't see the monster's face, but I could see his movements. He was taking a defensive position. 

 

“St-stay back! I don’t want to have to fight you!” 

 

why didn't he run?! Oh god… not good….. I started sprinting. I was so close...

 

Jack walked up to the monster who was now visibly trembling, and chuckled. 

 

"I don't see what the big deal is, at least about their magic. These vermin aren't dangerous. There just push overs!” He gave the monster a light push.

 

“Literally! I mean, come on man fight back a little, won’t you? I’ve heard you monster's are supposed to be powerful, and yet, here you are! Well, if you don’t fight back, I guess I’ll just have to finish you off! You made a mistake coming here punk. No one will save you here.” 

 

Before he could do anything worse to the monster, I ran up to Jack, and  punched him in his ugly face. It had hurt like crazy, but his look of surprise as he slowly watched my fist come closer and closer was well worth it. Besides, I could tell it hurt Jack a lot more than it hurt me. He had fallen on his butt and started balling like a baby, his friends in pure shock on what to do. What could they do? If they came any closer, Jack may get angry at them. After all, it was his rule that no one was supposed to help him in his fights unless he asked.

So, they just watched. Some friends they are, I thought, as I looked at them. I gave them my iconic, leave me alone glare, and they yelped, ran up to Jack, grabbed him, and decked it as fast as they could. I sighed, then clenched up. I felt something in my heart hurt, just a little, but I shrugged it off. I looked at the monster that I just rescued. His jacket was completely soaked by the rain. He was visibly shaking, and he had his head facing towards where Jack and his gang ran off to. As I held my umbrella, I debated on whether or not I should open it yet. Looking once again at the monsters soaked jacket, and then to my now soaked clothes, I decided it was probably a good idea. I opened my umbrella, and began to speak.

 

“Hey, its okay. They won’t bother you again, so relax, alright? You are safe now.”

 

The monster looked up at me. His face was that of a skeleton? He had no nose, as well as no lips, but the eyes were the most interesting. deep piercing blue eyes stared back at me. They were not exactly eyes, as much as they were eyelights. I could tell that this could be something that people could be frightened of, but for me, it was actually quite cool! It seemed to shift slightly from the deep blue it had originally, to a lighter cyan, and his body posture loosened. But I could tell. I didn't know how, but I could feel his fear.

he was good at hiding it. I looked back to where jack and his goons had ran, with anger in my heart. I felt so…... _angry, disgusted even!_   They were the very reason monster's don’t come out here in the first place!

I look back at him once again, Which leads to a different trail of thought.  Why is this monster here? I don’t really know about how ageing works for monsters, but by his voice, he seemed as old as I was. Even though we are only a thirty minute drive from the monster territories, That would be a crazy long walk. It also would be extremely unlikely that it took him this long to get noticed. _How did he get past everyone?_ It really is a strange thing. But now he needed positive vibes, not strange questions. I really hope he didn't get hurt. He didn't deserve that.

He’s still looking at me, waiting.

 

“I’m sorry for what happened back there, and I really hope they don’t discourage you from making friends with humans.:” I smile, then reach out my hand. Surprisingly, He takes it, but his gloved hand slip[ed back quickly. I look at him curiously.

 

“Oh…. um…. Sorry, I just hurt me hand when I fell, so I kind of forgot to brace myself for pain, so took my hand back. I’m okay now.” 

 

after a second, When I looked at him and his posture again, I realized something. _He had completely relaxed._ Seeing him relaxed had calmed me as well. I smile, much more relieved now, and I once again reached out my hand. This time, He takes it almost immediately, and he smiles back. He didn't exactly have lips, but somehow, his smile looked just as natural as a human smile.

 

“I’m glad that you feel more comfortable now mister, but I now a way to make it even better! How about I introduce myself!?”

 

 I pull him up to his feet, and grin goofily.

 

 “My names Rose! How about we go over to that overhang? This rain is soaking us both!”

 

We chatted a little bit, mostly about the weather and a little about how much of a butt Jack is. I had remembered how ansy he had looked before, and I wondered if He needed to go somewhere. I didn't want to keep him here, if that was the case. He didn't look like he wanted to leave, so maybe he forgot?

 

“Hey, do you have somewhere you needed to go? I had looked antsy before, and I don’t want to keep you here if you need to be somewhere.”

 

His eyes widened, and he grabbed his head.

 

“Crap! My bro’s gonna kill me! What time is it? Do you know? Crapcrapcrapcrap!….”

 

Yup. He definitely forgot he needed to be somewhere. 

 

“I'm sorry, but I don’t have a phone or a watch, but if I had to guess, I’d think it was somewhere around eight pm,”

 

He started to look like he was on the verge of a panic attack. Shoot! I didn't want to do that! Now I started to worry.

 

“Just tell him the rain held you up!”

 

“No, that won’t work. The rain wouldn't stop me from being on time,”

 

I looked at him quizzically, but just kept it to myself.

 

“You could tell him you made a new friend?” 

 

“That could work! But….. the only problem is that he’d probably ask you to come over for friendship spaghetti,” 

 

“Are you serious?” 

 

he looked at me sheepishly and nodded.

 

“And that's a problem because?......”

 

“Well, it’s kind of hard to get a human into the monster area….. And his spaghetti…..takes uhhh… well you could say, _guts_ to eat. You kinda need a _stomach_ of iron.” 

 

He looked at me with a shit eating grin.

……………

I giggled. Did he just make skeleton related puns? Well, at least he doesn't look as nervous anymore…..

 

“So your telling me, that eating his food requires a _spine?”_

 

Annnd I just facepalmed at my own joke. 

 

“Uurg why!? That was awful! I’m so sorry. I promise I'll never make a pun again.”

 

“ _Tibia_ perfectly honest, These skeleton puns are not my most _humerus._ I was going easy on you. _”_

 

I gave him a deadpan stare.

 

“Alright, you win buck-o, but don't you need to be worried about the task at _hand?”_

 

 good lord. Did I just do that? 

 

“Alright, alright, I get it. No more puns. I’m just relieved that you would be willing to eat my brothers food. But although I was joking, I’m being serious,”

 

 his eyelights completely vanished, and he started to visibly sweat…? I had to admit, he looked kinda scary without eyelights. I could see why someone would be scared.

 

“Its that bad? I mean come _on,_ there's no way it's as bad as when _I_ try and cook, and my cooking is _atrocious!_ And I don’t like wasting food, no matter how awful, so I wouldn’t worry. How bad could it be?”

My food usually ended up as charred lumps, and I couldn't even make packaged ramen without finding a way of burning it. I gave him a reassuring smile. He just sighed.

 

“Well, I just there no way to dissuade you then. Do you have a phone number I can contact you by?”

 

Now it was my time to become nervous. If I had eyelights like his, my eyes would have went black to! Unfortunately for me, I had to express my emotions the human way of sweating, as well as giving non reassuring and very nervous looking smiles. Not only did I not have a phone, but my dad didn't either.  If my dad did have a phone, he would have been completely fine with me giving my new monster friend his number, and he would probably ask if he could meet him, and he would probably even ask if he could come to. But we were not a high end family, and, surprisingly enough, a lot of people in our area didn't have phones. Not even many gang members had them. It was partially because the nearest phone shop was in monster territory, and gamestop didn't sell phones.  The gamestop was about half way between us and monster territory, but it was still in danger of gangs harassing the employees. It was actually kind of disconcerting and sad that phone companies were so afraid of being in our area, and it really showed just how bad things had become.  

 

“Um…….. I don’t have a phone, or a phone number that you can use to contact me…..”

 

 I really hoped that he believed me, as It could sound like I was just trying to ghost him. I was kind of self-conscious when I was talking to people about this sort of thing, and would often think about what people may feel about what I was saying. In my head I would sometimes make scenarios that sounded outlandish to the normal person where I did something that would hurt someone's feelings.

Even if someone was being rude, I would think of the outside factors that may be causing them to act that way.  Like, Maybe they had a bad home life, and it caused them to act out. I would create scenarios to justify someone's actions. In many ways, it made me extremely empathetic, and I would be willing to forgive someone when others would not. But, sadly, this made it very easy to take advantage of me, and, the worst part is, I knew it. Once again, I was completely unable to feel contempt or anger towards people who deserved it. So, I really, _really_ , hoped that my outlandish scenarios wouldn't actually happen. Luckily for me, My scenarios were just that, _outlandish_. My crazy scenarios were created in my because of the bad people I had met.  But I was soon going to realize was that these scenarios that could come true in my area, were not normal in other areas. 

 

“Oh. Okay. That's Alright. We can just meet up here tomorrow then,” 

 

My shock must have shown on my face, because he looked at me curiously.

 

“What?”

 

For a second I went stiff, fearing that he was angry, but then I rethought about the tone of his voice, as well as his body posture. I was rather good at reading people, and because I was used to people who were good at hiding there impure intentions. Of course, I could never call them out on it, so I would instead cut contact with them instead.

When I looked at him, however, I sensed nothing of these things. There was no malice.  He was relaxed, and his smile was lax. He was completely casual, and I was honestly just so shocked! He didn't blow his top with anger, or look at me with contempt, he was just chill, as it the small inconvenience that just occurred was just that. Something minor. It felt strange, but also gratifying. It reminded me that normal people didn't have this problem, and when we move to monster territories, I will no longer have no control over my ability to say ‘no’. I may even be able to make more friends like the new one I made today! This made me untense, and smile.

 

“Sorry, I just was surprised that you were so chill about me not being able to contact you, that's all. It would be kinda hard to tell you if something comes up, not that's very likely,”

 

“ it’s alright, I know what you mean……” 

 

He looked around, and then he kind of nervously chuckled. 

 

“Well, I stayed out waaaay longer than I had wanted. I had an excuse, meeting a new friend, and I knew that I was gonna be late anyway, so I might as well as stay longer, You know?”

 

I laughed. Oh boy did I know way to well. 

 

“ _Trust me,_  I get you,”

 

“So, tomorrow, about the same time?”

 

“You bet!.............”

 

Just as he was about to walk away, I called after him.

 

“Hey! Uhhh…. Wait!”

 

He looked back at me. 

 

“Hmm…?”

 

“Well… It’s raining, and you need to walk farther than I do, so….. Take this!”

 

I thrust my umbrella into his hand.

 

“But… I can’t-”

 

“Trust me! It alright! You can just give it back to me tomorrow. It has to be a much longer walk for you than me. After all, I’m close to my home. So don’t worry.”

“Well, if you insist….”

 

He held my rather worn umbrella in his hands, and he grinned.

 

“I guess you could say, this umbrella has me _covered_ , huh?”

 

I tried to stifle the giggles that were trying to escape. It was basically a dad joke that was probably plastered on shirt somewhere, but I had an interesting problem of laughing at jokes no matter how bad they are. I was basically a comediens best friend. 

 

“Are you kidding me? I’m trying _so hard_ not to condone your behavior right now...”

 

“Well, got to go. See you tomorrow,” 

 

He smiled, then turned back toward where he came. 

 

“Bye! I can’t wait to meet your brother!”

 

I never made it. 

 

 I shuddered, and brought myself out of my trance. Everytime I have time to think, my mind finds a way to wander back to what happened. Why? I just want to forget. Something in my mind went back to the monster. _A skeleton……..who was somewhat taller than me, who liked puns and had a brother who adored spaghetti…_

_Did I meet Sans? No. If he knew who I was, he would have told me, right? Maybe skeletons are common monsters! And they all have blue eyes and brothers who like meeting new people and eat spaghetti?  It must be a coincidence. I’ll ask Sans about it later._

look at the unicorn in my hands, and I snuggle it tight. I look around the room and sigh. _No more flashbacks. Two was enough. It's time to get back to work._

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys! I'm sorry that this chapter took so long to get out. I had been working on it for a while, and I had been wanting to continue the chapter a the way to when Rose meets the rest of the sceles, but It The chapter would have been absurdly long, and it would have taken forever. I desided to quit being stubborn, and just post it as it is. This just means that there will be three, maybe even four, parts to meeting the scelebros. 
> 
> Rose- This packing is taking foreverrr... I don't want to be left with my thoughts much longer.
> 
> THE GREAT PAPYRUS!!!!!!-why do I feel like I should have been done with this kitchen by now? Well.. I do have somthing on my mind....
> 
> Sans- *texting stretch and everyone else* Be prepared. We are going to be having a new housemate.
> 
>  
> 
> Real quick, I'm just going to explain something for those who may be annoyed by how many flashbacks and non skeletal related content there is. I don't know if anyone is actually bothered by it, but just in case, I'll explain.
> 
> As you may have noticed, A light in the darkness is written in first person, and the main character is called Rose, not y/n. She has set qualities, and you don't get to chose her eye color or her name like you can in other stories. Sense she is this way, I have to write the story in a different way as well. In first person, We only see what she sees, and we only get know what she knows. This makes it more difficult to show what is going on around her, and If she doesn't notice something, neither do we. This is also can something good, because it can create suspense and you all will be in the dark as much as she is. We don't get to know about her secrets until she thinks about them herself. Flashbacks are a pretty great way to do this. The flashbacks will eventually slow down, but right now, it makes sense for her to have memories resurfacing because she is having something major happen to her. Eventually, I will also add the Pov of the skeletons.  
> Slowly, you will be able to piece together what happened to her before, what happened not long after the incident, as well as what the skeletons piece together. One last thing. Feel free to ask questions, as well as leave criticism or really anything you like! Its alright if you don't want to, but I just want to hear how you guys feel about my writing. Although I feel pretty good about this so far, Its very likely I'm making mistakes, and as long as you are leaving constructive criticism, I will be really appreciative. 
> 
> I'm really sorry if you didn't want me to explain that to you, but I really needed to get that off my chest. I had been really worried that you guys would be extremely annoyed that there aren't many sceles yet.


	4. Chapter 2 part 3 (meeting the skelebros) meeting the sclebros

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Rose, Sans, and Papyrus finally finish up cleaning Rose's apartment. (I'm sorry this isn't more descriptive. I'm not the best with summaries...)

I set my unicorn beside my other stuffed animals, which consisted of cat with a ribbon, and a giraffe that had seen more wear and tear than the other two combined. Its neck had been restitched haphazardly by me, because when I was very young I had chewed on it. 

I rolled all my sheets, blankets, and pillows into one big pile. I stuffed them into a garbage bag, so they would be easier to carry, and set my stuffed animals on top of the pile. I then continued to clean, first by getting my biggest suitcase that I had and stuffing all of my clean dresser clothes in it. It started with the top drawer, stuffing my undergarments and massive collection of socks into the bottom, and then I continued to go through all of my other drawers, one after another. I didn't even try to fold my sweaters and pants, and instead just stuffed them haphazardly.

I had some clothes in my closet as well, and I did the same thing as I did to all my other clothes. Now that I could actually see my closet, I winced. It was a complete mess. There were books everywhere, as well as other random items that had once been organized, but I had been too lazy to fix it when I put things back, instead opting to shove something wherever it could fit. 

There were also many Items that I had thought I lost, and while it was relieving to find them, it also made me feel kind of silly. That box of colored pencils I lost? Under a pile of socks and a book. That nice hoodie that actually looked decent that had suddenly vanished without a trace? It fell from its hanger into a tiny area behind, you guessed it! A stack of books. All I could do was sigh and face palm.

I grabbed a box and started to put all of the stuff I had lost, while occasionally grabbing some clothing that fell from its hanger onto the floor. After only moving the massive amount of books and the clothes that fell, it looked like an actual closet. There were a few medium sized items that could be put in a separate box, like my rock and shell collection, as well as a box of mementos that I hadn't looked through in a long time.

This was in the very back, and I hadn't touched it in ages, so much so that the box was coated in a thin layer of dust, which I had accidentally disturbed, causing it to fly up into the air, making me sneeze. I was almost tempted to open it, but I stopped. _I will look at what is inside later._ I set the rather bulky box aside. I continued moving my things into the box of miscellaneous items, until there was nothing left.

Thankfully, I had overestimated how hard it would be to clean out, but there was one last area to clean. My desk. 

Before I do that, I moved any boxes that were full to the door, then marked what each on had inside. The garbage bag full of my bed sheets was set by my door as well. I told Papyrus, who was cleaning the kitchen, and Sans, who just entered the apartment, that this garbage bag was not to be thrown away. They both nodded, and went back to there work.  I went back into my room, closing my door behind me, and approached my desk.

The first thing one would really notice when they look is my different plants.

I liked decorating my plants with cool rocks and other things, so these pretty stones would often reflect sunlight, and in turn, catch someone's attention. Sadly, I had never had anyone else to show this pretty scene to. Maybe I could show it to Papyrus and Sans once I set it up again? The desk was placed so that sunlight would be on it for many hours, and this made it very good for my plants. If there were some that needed less sun, I would simply rotate a plant from the side to the center. Many of my plants were in small pots, and were easy to take care of,  like my little Christmas cactus.

My centerpiece however, was something much larger and slightly harder to take care of. This plant was a very pretty bonsai jade. I was able to guide the way the branches grew with wire, and in turn made it bend into a heart. I had a few other cool plants in my mini garden, but sense I didn't have much room, I had to limit my home to just this. _Maybe I would be able to grow a garden of flowers?_

I didn't really know where they lived, and I would have to ask permission first, but My dad and I had always wanted to grow an outdoor garden, and we didn't have the room. We had always said we would do it one day. It would be pretty amazing if I finally got the chance. Just as I was about to start daydreaming again, I reminded myself that I was trying to clean, and that daydreaming could be done later.

I went back to looking at my desk.  There was not only plants on this desk. It also had art supplies like my many colored pencils in the under compartment, as well as metric butt tons of paper, for when I was drawing at home. I also had a barely used on the go sketchbook, that never got use simply because I was too afraid to stay out for long periods of time. Although upsetting, There wasn't really anything inspiring or nice to draw anyways. The places that did have people were downcast and gloomy. The last item was my drawing binder, which had many of my drawings, as well as anything I may be working on. Anything I deemed as good artwork was put in a plastic see through sleeve. Most of these drawings were still life drawings of things like my plants or the fruit I had bought that week arranged into a bowl.  Sometimes, I would draw my dream home, or even my dream garden. I would imagine what types of flowers would fit best for certain months, and I would draw it. I had many other variations of drawings, like portraits, in my binder, but I didn't have as many because I didn't have many people to draw.

The last thing on my desk was a rather small, but pretty lamp. It was only used when I was drawing and I didn't want to use the light from the lamp on the ceiling, as it was often way to bright.

_Well, time to get to work!_

I first started by putting all of my drawing supplies and blank paper,  into one small box. I labeled the box art supplies, and continued. Next, I put my huge binder and unused sketchbook into another box. My binder was pretty large, And it wasn't able to fit in the last box. Before I worked on my desk and plants, I gathered any of the full boxes that were still in my room,  and set them by the door. Papyrus was still working on the kitchen. I walked up to him to see how he was doing to find that he had put all of my kitchen supplies like plates and bowls into one box with plastic grocery bags to protect the ceramic stuff. It was a pretty smart move, that I probably wouldn't have thought of myself. 

 

“How are you doing so far, Papyrus?”

 

He jumped a little, and looked down, surprised.  

 

“MY GOODNESS! YOU SCARED ME, ROSE! IF YOU WANT TO KNOW, I’M ALMOST DONE. I PUT THE METAL POTS AND PANS INTO A BOX TOGETHER, WITH GROCERY BAGS IN BETWEEN.  YOU DON’T REALLY HAVE MUCH DISHWARE TO COOK. I HAVEN'T TOUCHED THE FRIDGE OR FREEZER YET, BECAUSE I DIDN'T KNOW WHAT YOU WANTED TO DO WITH YOUR FOOD. I AM ABOUT TO GET TO WORK ON YOUR SILVERWARE. ARE YOU ALMOST DONE AS WELL?”

 

I nodded, and gave out a sort of sigh.

 

“Ya, I’m almost done, thankfully……. We really do need to move fast though. Although it's not very likely that people will come for me yet, and maybe he was bluffing, but There is a chance, and I honestly don’t want me _or_ you guys to be here if they do arrive. It's likely that they won’t wait for me to pack up and flee.” 

 

I bit my lip, and started to tremble, just slightly. If they did come, and we weren't finished or haven't left, they aren't going to be very nice. I already know what they would do to me, but what would they do to them? I looked up at Papyrus, how was looking back at me calmly. They would _kill_ them. We need to move fast.

 

“IT GOING TO BE ALRIGHT. THERE’S NO NEED TO WORRY. WE ARE ALMOST DONE, AND WHERE WE ARE GOING, THEY WON'T BE ABLE TO FOLLOW,”

 

He looked at me with his typical friendly grin, and then went back to work. Surprisingly, hearing him say that I would be safe made me feel better.  I actually felt safe for the first time in a very long time. I smiled, and relaxed.

 

“Thanks Paps! I feel so much safer. I'll get back to work on my room, and then we can leave!”

 

I almost missed the slight orange blush that tinted papyrus's face, but when I did see it, I did a double take. I didn't say something bad, did I?

 

“Is there something wrong?”

 

“HUH? OH NO THERES NOTHING WRONG! NOTHING WHATSOEVER. I WAS JUST SURPRISED YOU GAVE ME A NICKNAME ALREADY.”

 

“Hmm?”

 

“IT'S JUST THAT, THAT'S SOMETHING ONLY BEST BEST BEST FRIENDS DO! I’M GOING TO HAVE TO THINK OF ONE FOR YOU THEN…… HMMMM…”

 

I looked at him. And I kept looking.  I didn't know what to say. My brain was rebooting, and all that I could think of was, how many levels are in a friendship? Where has he been getting his knowledge, and where can I sign up? Finally my brain was back on, and the dad jokes were pushed to the back to be used for another day.

 

“Where is this coming from Papy? I’ve never heard of anything like it...”

 

“OH! IT FROM  ‘A GUIDE TO FRIENDSHIPS!’ I FOUND IT IN THE UNDERGROUND, ALONG WITH SOME OTHER COOL BOOKS! I CAN SHOW IT TO YOU LATER IF YOU LIKE!”

 

“I would most definitely take you up on that offer. I really want to see who wrote this book that you are talking about..  I’ve never heard of friendships being rated in levels….. It's a strange thing.”

 

“DO YOU MEAN THAT HUMANS DON’T RATE FRIENDSHIPS? THAT EXPLAINS A LOT……….. DOES THAT MEAN I’VE BEEN DOING IT WRONG THE ENTIRE TIME?”

 

I looked up at Papyrus, and I immediately felt like I kicked a puppy.  He looked so sad, and when someone as nice as Papyrus feels sad, so do I. 

 

“oh no! Don’t think that! Your being a good friend! More than that even. You're an amazing friend, and people would be lucky to have someone as nice as you in there life! It just that……”

I looked up at Papyrus, who was listening closely, hearing every word. I needed to have him understand without hurting his feelings. 

 

“Friendships are kind of like a fire. They start off small, but depending on what fuels the fire, as well as what conditions the fire it starts in, It could either thrive, or slowly sputter out. There is no real way to rank a friendship, because depending on the person, Your friendship may start quickly, or it may go slow, eventually making headway. Even though I have only known you for a day, I can see that you are a very outgoing and friendly person, and because of that, you make friends very easily.  But, there are some people who are quiet and because of that, they have trouble making friends. If you have a friendship with them, It will probably go slowly, but eventually, They might open up! There are many different types of people, each with different standards. Because of that, Friendships can’t be ranked. One friendship could be going very quickly, but then spiral out of control and have to put out, and another friendship could go really slowly, but you would really get to know that person, leading to a friendship that lasts a lifetime.”

 

Papyrus has the same face as when he was thinking at the store, but thankfully, he doesn't look worried like he did when he thought that pasta was made of big cats, which I take as a good sign.

 

“WHAT KIND OF PERSON ARE YOU?”

 

I was taken aback by this, and didn’t know how to react. He looked generally curious about the answer, and I wanted to answer him. But….

 

 How was I supposed to tell him that It normally takes me very long to open up, Or that this was a special case and normally I don’t even leave my house, and therefore don’t really make friends? Of course, this wasn't always the case… but…… _I will tell him part of it, but not all. I don’t want to lie, but I also don’t want to scar my bubbly friend for life._

 

“Well, usually, I’m a quiet person who has trouble making friends. I wasn't always so quiet though, my personality changed when I had something bad happen to me. Today is one of the first times in a long time were I actually feel safe. I can tell you guys are good people, and because of that, I’m opening up faster than normal. I really am grateful for all that you guys have done for me, and I don’t think I could ever repay you.”

 

I smiled. They really are the best thing to happen to me in a long time. At the very least, I know that monsters a kind. I looked up to see that Papyrus is trying to preoccupy himself with putting away silverware. _Hes blushing again! Why?_

 

“WELL, IT’S REALLY NICE THAT YOU WERE ABLE TO OPEN UP! IT IS VERY LUCKY THAT WE DECIDED TO CHECK OUT A HUMAN GROCERY STORE… WHO KNEW THAT I WOULD MEET A NEW FRIEND! YOU ARE DEFINITELY GOING TO HAVE TO TEACH ME MORE ABOUT FRIENDSHIPS LATER, THOUGH. I DEFINITELY DON’T WANT TO MAKE ANY MORE MISTAKES! YOU SHOULD PROBABLY HELP TEACH BLUE AS WELL. HE HAS READ THE SAME BOOK!”

 

“Sure thing Papy. It sounds like fun! You guys can teach me about monster culture as well!”

 

I had a feeling that if Papyrus thought this ‘Blue’ person was his friend, then he probably was a lot like him. Plus, it seems like he lives with them, so he is bound to be nice.

 

“Well, I’m almost done, so once I finish, we can raid and clean the fridge together. Does that sound good?”

 

“SOUNDS GREAT! I’LL GET BACK TO WORK!”

 

I quickly went back into my room, and set out to work on cleaning out the last of my room. I still need to get my bed out of here, but that was sort of a group effort, and that was something that had to wait until I finished cleaning out my desk. By this point, the only thing left on my desk were my plants. I had to find a way to put them all into boxes, without breaking the pots they were in, or the plants themselves. Then, I remembered what Papyrus did. He put each of The ceramic plates into a small layer of grocery bags, right? If I put each of my plants into one box, and layer the bottom parts of each pot with grocery bags, the pots won't break! All I would need to do then is just hold the box in my lap so the plants don't get jostled around too much, and I’m all set.

I Speed out of my room and grab some grocery bags, as well as a good sized box, and quickly speed back to my room. I set it all down on my floor, and get to work. Once I have it all set to my liking, I carefully pick up the now heavy box, and walk over to the door to my now barren apartment.  I still need to find out what I’m going to do with my bed and desk, as it seems likely that neither would fit in Papyrus car, which is probably overflowing with all of my stuff by now. Another thing I need to do is get my cat things, as well as find a way to get my cats into cat carriers. Its likely that I would only need to use two carriers, which I thankfully have, but Where would I put them? It's not Like I can just stuff them into the trunk of Papyrus car next to all of my clothes! Its likely that they will need to go on the laps of someone. We would have to exclude Papyrus, because he would probably be driving, and...I can't do it either, because I need to put my plants on my lap. Which means…….

 

“Are you guys almost done cleaning everything out?”

 

Sans has walked in, and has just finished pocketing his phone. I look up at him, I I start thinking. What was he doing the entire time? I didn't see him much each time I went out of my room, maybe he was just putting all of my stuff in the car? I hope it wasn't too hard. My stuff is really heavy…. Although, he can just make float whatever needs to be carried, right? My goodness,  this is going to require some getting used to. 

 

“I’m almost done on my end, I just need help moving my bed and desk out of my room, and, if you don’t mind me asking, do I need them? It's unlikely that they will fit It Papyrus’s car, and we've already stuffed so many things in them already, what should we do with that? I also am probably going to have my cats up front in cat carriers.”

 

“No probs. We will just get you a new bed and desk. There probably worn down anyway, and It just makes life easier. I’ll help you throw them away, And the cats carriers can sit up on my lap, its fine.”

 

_Wait…. WHAT! Nope. that's not gonna fly._

 

“nope. You guys aren't spending anymore money on me! I’ll sleep on the floor. I’ve heard its good for your back anyway,”

 

Why were they so willing to do things for me? For all they know, I could secretly be an entitled Karen, or a megalomaniac! Their willingness to help is something I refuse to take advantage of. Before I could think deeper into my new life sleeping on the floor, I was cut off by Sans sighing.

 

“Why do you keep worrying about us helping you? You really don't have to worry, this isn't really much of an inconvenience for us. Honestly, you’ve cost us a cent compared to what the rest of our housemates have, and even they didn't scratch the surface. You’ve seen Pap’s car. We are very well off.  Besides, It would be pretty hard to sleep on the floor every day. You wouldn't get a wink of sleep. We would want you to be a _lazy bones_ like me, would we?”

 

Papyrus groaned, and I turned to see Sans wink at me. Now it was my turn to sigh. These skeletons really are to nice for there own good. But, then again, wasn't I the one Who often gets told that I’m too nice for my own good? I really am hypocritical. I often help many people, even ones who refuse help, or try to hurt me, but refuse to let someone help me. But, my new friends refuse to be refused. They are determined to help me, honestly, I’m grateful. but I'll be damned if I allow them to buy things for me- at least, not without a fight.

 

“Well…. I guess if it isn't a problem… but you better believe I’m going to pay you back somehow. There is no way in heck I'm allowing you to spend too much on me. I stand firm on this.”

 

I tried to look as defiant as possible by puffing out my chest and crossing my arms, as well as giving the ‘look’ but i couldn't contain myself, and my excellent defiance crumbled, turning into, first a small smile, then a grin, then finally, I started laughing at my absurd fail. 

 

Sans soon joined, and Papyrus gave out a small sigh, trying to look like he was not affected by my stupidity, but soon the sides of his mouth turned to a smile, somehow? This just made my laugh harder. How? Who cares, of course, other than me? Nonetheless, It was hilarious to me at that moment. 

Sans and I had been laughing so hard we were weezing, gasping for air, and on the verge of tears. The funny part was, it wasn’t _this_ funny! But that, in turn created _even more_ funniness. A meta joke? Nice. It all lasted about forty seconds, but, by the end, Sans and I were grinning like idiots while wiping tears out of our eyes, as Papyrus watched. we finally regained our composure, still chuckling ocasinaly when my very derpy look of defence entered our minds.  At least, I think that Sans was thinking the same thing I was. It's strange how I feel like we have been friends for my entire life. I feel calm and safe near him and Papyrus. It's comforting.

 

“Well, since me being defiant didn't work, I might as well give up. Let's get to work. We need to leave soon!”

 

My fear resurfaced, but was quickly disrupted by Sans.

 

“Why do we need to leave so soon? Is there a problem?”

 

“ROSE SAID THAT HER PREVIOUS EMPLOYER MAY NOT HAVE BEEN BLUFFING ABOUT HAVING SOME NOT NICE FRIENDS.”

 

I bit my lip. I really didn't want to worry them about me even more than I already have, but now it's inevitable. Sans eye lights went dark, and his grin tightened. He did not look pleased in any sense. It's not exactly something someone who wasn’t looking or didn't understand how his emotions were conveyed might notice, but could feel it somehow. Without even originally looking, I could feel how distressed he was.

It brought back memories of the first monster I had ever met. He had times where his eyelights would vanish to, especially when in scary, angering, or just down-right distressing moments. I looked at Sans.

What was he thinking? What if he started to think about how strange it was that I was as fearful as I was of these people.  Maybe he would decide to leave me, thinking I’d to be too dangerous to be around. A liability. What if he learned what they did to me, and became disgusted?

 

After all, I have more scars on my body than the amount of friends I have, or even enemies! But of course, my ugly scars are hidden, just like my emotional baggage. I feared the worst.

 

“Did they hurt you at all?”

 

I looked at Sans and was shocked to find his tense grin had tightened even more. He was angry. What could I say? I can’t convincingly lie, and if I did, it wouldn't last long. All I would have to do is accidently have my sleeve slip down my arm one day, and my many, many scars would be visible.

I Inwardly cridged at the thought. Who would see? What if Papyrus and his friend Blue see it? My scars wouldn't just be mine to bear, they would become my new friend’s as well. I looked down at the palm of my right hand, where the only scar I couldn't hide was. It was small and faint, but it was there. The evidence of a clumsy job with a knife. It wasn't self harm, or an accident. It was deliberate.

I shuddered as I remembered the words Jack had said as him and his friends cut into my flesh as I screamed in agony.

 

“Don’t worry, we will make sure these lovely new decorations will be where no one else will see! We would want to ruin your pretty body to much, after all, right? We will still need a pretty lapdog, and having these visible would disrupt our image! Although there are some pretty bad bruises on your pretty face we gave ya. Those will probably last a while. Oh well. I guess we can't win them all, huh? At least your pretty hair can cover it up for a while.”

 

Him and his buddies enjoyed a nice laugh at my expense. He had no intention of killing me, only using me as an example. They would probably parade me around like I was there property. My torture continued on into the evening, as my screams of pain were ignored, and my hope that I would be rescued slowly diminished along with my energy.

Of course, he wasn't very good on keeping his promise, as he ‘slipped’ with his knife and left a sizable gash in my palm. 

 

“Whoops! Oh well, I guess I wasn't careful enough!”

 

He laughed again with his buddys as I quietly whimpered in pain. My energy to scream and fight had long since diminished, and I wasn't even able to freak out about the fact I had more blood pouring out of my body than I ever thought I had.

Jack grabbed an old hand mirror that had been left in the abandoned home they had dragged me to.  I had almost slipped into unconsciousness at this point, as I had lost a lot of blood. 

 

“Heey!! Wake up silly, I need to show you the improvements!”

 

He had woken me up from my foggy thoughts by ‘lightly’ slapping my cheek a couple times, which made my painful aching bruises flare up in pain. I let out a soft squeal as Jack and his friends laughed and joked about my discomfort. No one in the group felt remotely guilty. No one felt empathy for me. This was all one big joke to them.

It was funny that I acted out against them, and it was fun to torture me for hours.

They were evil.

And yet, I still couldn't be angry with them. It was only when they were hurting someone else that I could stop them. I kept thinking that maybe there is a reason that they are this way, or maybe they are just afraid, but deep inside, I knew I was lying to myself. I tried to think that no person would be evil without a reason, but there are some people who hurt others just because they can. As I was on my belly and was too tired to move, he slowly lowered the mirror and tilted it so I could see my uncovered back. I whimpered as I saw the damage they had done. My back and even the sides of my belly were a bloody mess. Of course, although I couldn't see my arms and legs, there were gashes there as well.  In some areas were the blood dried, I could see long gashes that ran in different areas, some intersecting, others put randomly. As I looked on in horror, I notice Jack gesture to one of his friends to grab something out of my sight. The guy nodded, and quickly walked out of sight, then quickly back in. Jack grabbed the Item which turned out to be a towel and started talking.

 

“You like it so far? Well, we saved the best for last!”

 

He used the towel and started to literally mop up the blood that was pouring out my most recent wounds. I winced at the pain of him scrubbing the now blood soaked towel across my back, all the while singing a cheery tune with his friends.

 

“There we go! All cleaned up! Take a look at it!”

 

He tilted the mirror down a little to reveal something even worse than just having a permanent scar. Unlike with the other scars, this one was not straight. It had curves, making it stand out like a sore thumb. He grinned like a maniac, and started giggling with his crony friends. 

 

“Just a little mark to remind you of who you messed with!”

 

He had marked my right between the shoulder blades with a J.  He had even put little lines circling it like it was an art piece. I gagged, horrified. It was too much. I slowly started to fade to black as I heard Sirens and Jack and his friends scrambling to leave, dropping the knife they had been using to cut me with, leaving me there on the now bloody carpet floor. I tried to look away from it, but was unable to move. I faintly remember looking around, deliriously thinking that this carpet used to be white. I heard people barging down the door as I finally fell unconscious.

 

I shuddered. _No more thinking about such horrid things. I need to stay brave._

 

How could I tell them that they could kill anyone they liked, and no one could stop them? Or that the only reason I was alive in the first place was because they want me to be there little pet. Or the fact that The only reason they didn't get a chance was because they were interrupted by the police. They didn't have me in there territory, and If they had taken me, I’d probably still be there to be there little play thing. I clenched my scarred hand into a fist. I know I couldn't lie convincingly, as I know in my heart that I don’t want to, even if it was to protect my new friends. But, I also know that if I do tell them, it’s very likely things won’t go well. What do I say? A half truth maybe? I need to say _something_ at least.

 

I looked down, not willing to look either one of them in the eyes. Some of the hair that had fallen out of my ponytail fell into my eyes, covering the look of anguish I was displaying.  

 

“Yes,”

 

Before either of them could speak, I raised my head, and looked Sans straight into his eyelights. My gaze was firm, and I made sure he knew I wasn’t joking. 

  
  


“I know from experience that these people are not nice. If they do come, and they find that we are still here, they will not be kind. I’ve seen them attack a monster unprovoked before, but for us it will be even worse. I’m not willing to let you guys get hurt just because they have problems with me.”

 

Sans’s Eyelights were still extinguished. It was hard for me to read his expression now, but I could almost _feel_ the anger radiating off of him.

 

Papyrus however, was a different story. It was even harder to read Papyrus than Sans! He definitely was somewhat angry, but he also had an element of calmness. He was really thinking about the situation, and what the best plan of action was. But other than that, I couldn't tell. He was rubbing his chin with one of his gloved hands, and he definitely looked like he was thinking. But, what? 

 

“ALRIGHT THEN. HOW MUCH STUFF DO WE HAVE LEFT IN YOUR HOME?”

  
  


“Well, I still need to get my bed and desk out of my room. I also need to get my cats stuff, but that won’t be hard at all.  That would normally try to bring my food with me, but sense we are in a hurry, we might as well just chuck that in a garbage bag and throw it away.”

  
  


“LET'S GET TO WORK THEN! IF WE LEAVE NOW, WE DON’T HAVE TO WORRY ABOUT ANYTHING. SANS, YOU GET HER BED AND DESK! ROSE AND I WILL START CLEARING OUT THE FRIDGE!”

  
  


I started to move toward the fridge, but stopped and looked back at Sans. Papyrus looked back to, and when he noticed that Sans was not moving, he walked back to him, and tapped Sans on the shoulder.

  
  


“Wha!!....”

 

Sans jumped, then looked up at his brother.

 

“SANS, DID YOU HEAR WHAT I SAID?”

 

“uh..…”

 

Papyrus sighed.

 

“I KNOW THAT YOU ARE ANGRY AT THIS SITUATION, AS AM I. BUT, WE HAVE TO HELP ROSE RIGHT NOW. THE BEST PLAN OF ACTION IS TO LEAVE AS FAST AS POSSIBLE.”

 

Sans’s eyelights finally returned. He was still visibly sweating, but he was definitely much more calm. I wanted to console him, but I didn't know what to say. Thankfully, Papyrus did.

 

“Alright then. What do you want me to clean?’

 

Thus, we set to work. For Papyrus and I, it was as simple as getting a garbage bag and stuffing all my old food into it. the fruit bowl had been empty, thankfully, so I didn't have to throw away any fresh fruits or veggies at least. As we worked, The kittens and their mother watched as we chucked all the rest of the food from the freezer and refrigerator into the garbage bag. This was probably the easiest, and most fun task to do, which was probably because of Papyrus. He playfully chatted with me about the food in my refrigerator,  trying to guess what I had been trying to make. I told him that I didn't usually cook to much, only because I wasn't able to get all of my ingredients from my work.

 

“BUT WHY IS THAT A PROBLEM?”

 

“Well I don’t own a car or have a license, and I’m usually afraid to walk to a market farther from my home. When I do have the ingredients though, I can actually make some good food.”

 

“WHERE DID YOU LEARN HOW TO COOK? A COOKBOOK?”

 

“Well actually I-”

 

I stopped mid sentence. I had learned to cook because I had to cook for my adoptive parents. They weren't all that happy when the girl they took in couldn't even make food. To them, I was vermin that was lucky to be allowed to live with them. So, of course, I got pretty good at making food and cleaning. The only reason they took me in was because they wanted to look charitable and kind in front of there friends. It's also seems likely that they wanted someone to do all of their jobs for them without being paid. All I knew for sure was that they had great disdain for me.

I looked at Papyrus. He was smiling cheerfully while he cleaned, even humming a jubilant tune. He seemed to be so happy to do anything, even doing something that could get boring or even tedious at times, like cleaning. He also seems to enjoy cooking very much. Nothing looks like it could put a damper on his life, so why couldn't I be the same way? I wouldn't let things in my past affect my future. It's the least I can do. I smiled. 

 

“Well, I actually learned by lots of practice. I used to suck quite a lot at cooking, to the point that charred lumps were the best I could do!”

 

Remembering how bad my cooking skills used to be, I laughed. 

 

“I even accidentally almost set my kitchen on fire……... but that's a story for another day.”

 

“COOL! UNDYNE AND I SET HER HOUSE ON FIRE BY ACCIDENT A COUPLE TIMES! UNDYNE SAYS THAT IT'S KIND OF LIKE A RIGHT OF PASSAGE!”

 

Papyrus eyebrows furrowed, and he rubbed his chin.

 

 “ALTHOUGH………. I DON’T KNOW EXACTLY WHAT SORT OF RIGHT  OF PASSAGE IT IS…… I’M DEFINITELY GOING TO HAVE TO ASK UNDYNE THE NEXT TIME I SEE HER.”

  
  


I faintly remember hearing about a monster who was the captain of the monster police force named Undyne, maybe that was her?.........

 

What a minute… did he just say that _they set her house on fire?!_

 

“Oh my _goodness_! Were you both alright? What happened?!”

 

I looked at him with concern as I cleaned.

 

“OH, WE PUT IT OUT IN THE END. UNDYE HAD JUST FORGOTTEN THAT METTATON'S BRAND STOVE CAN REACH HIGHER THAN HER LAST STOVE. OF COURSE, WHEN SHE DID REMEMBER, SHE JUST LAUGHED AND PUT IT ON MAX. IT WAS CRAZY! AT LEAST WE SAVED THE FOOD!”

 

He chuckled. I looked at him with a mixture of awe and relief. These skeletons really are ‘magical’! These things do not happen to normal people, that's for sure. At least it sounds like I’m going to have fun! I looked at Papyrus and smiled cheerfully. 

 

“Well, at least you saved the food. What did it taste like?”

 

“WELL, UNFORTUNATELY I DON’T KNOW HOW IT TASTED BECAUSE ALPHYS CAME WITH SANS IN HAZMAT SUITS TO PICK IT UP! APPARENTLY IT WAS HIGHLY EXPLOSIVE? UNDYNE AND I WERE TOLD BY ALPHYS NEVER TO PUT THE NEW STOVE ON THAT HIGH OF A SETTING EVER AGAIN...”

 

“Oh my…….. That's crazy! At least you guys were okay.”

 

I thought for a moment, then looked at Papyrus.

 

“Who are Alphys and Undyne? I remember hearing the name Undyne somewhere, but I couldn't remember.”

 

“OH! UNDYNE IS THE CAPTAIN OF THE MONSTER POLICE FORCE, AND ALPHYS IS HER GIRLFRIEND! WE WATCH ANIME WITH THEM SOMETIMES, AND I COOK WITH UNDYNE A LOT!  I THINK THAT YOU GUYS WOULD BE GREAT FRIENDS!” 

 

“Oh! That's awesome! I can’t wait to meet them!”

 

Undyne sounds a lot like Papyrus, but I didn't know anything about her girlfriend Alphys yet. They both sound like fun though. I wonder what type of anime they watch….

I guess I’ll find out soon enough.  

 

“Looks like the fridge is clear!”

 

Of course, it wasn't exactly, ‘ _clean’_ clean, as We hadn't wiped it down or anything, but at this point, I didn't care. My mean landlord could clean up it himself. After all, he did just kick me out! In many other nicer places, it's actually illegal to kick someone out without at least thirty days notice, but at this pace, it's the norm. It's not exactly fair, and technically if I called the police I could make a case about it, but it's almost like an unspoken agreement that if you are told to leave, you must.

This policy is in place because drug lords and gang members live in apartment complexes like these, and many of them are very rowdy and dangerous. I've heard that some low level gang members in my apartment complex had gotten into a knife fight in the lobby not to long ago, and there was no one to break it up except other gang members. Needless to say, some of them probably got some new scars that day. Although I didn't think this policy is actually legal, I did understand it in that case. But in this one? Not so much. It's not worth fighting against it in the long run though, nut only because I have some people who are willing to help me, but also because even if it did stay here, it wouldn't matter. I’d still be found by……. _Them_.

I shook my head in a futile attempt to get myself to stop thinking about the inevitable.  

 

“ROSE? ARE YOU ALRIGHT? YOU KINDA STOPPED TALKING THERE……”

 

I sort of jumped, startled by Papyrus.

 

“YOU KNOW, YOU ARE DOING A BAD JOB OF NOT WORRYING, ROSE. WE ARE ALMOST DONE, AND SOON WE CAN LEAVE TO A PLACE WHERE YOU WILL BE SAFE. WORRYING WILL ONLY HURT YOU. INSTEAD, THINK ABOUT HOW NICE IT WILL BE TO SEE A NEW PLACE, NO WHERE NEAR ANYTHING BAD. THINK ABOUT FLUFFY KITTENS AND FIELDS OF GRASS AND FLOWERS….. AND BEAUTIFULLY CRAFTED BOWLS OF DELICIOUSLY PREPARED SPAGHETTI!”

Papyrus looked like he was trying to imagine that as well, which, in turn lead to me imagining a super happy Papyrus frolicking in a field with kittens riding on his shoulders and head as he’s holding the best dish of pasta in creation. It was a pretty nice thought that lead me to laugh.

 

“Okay Papyrus, I’ll do what you say. I’ll think about nothing but fluffy kittens and fields until we get done, and I can see those things in real life!”

 

“SOUNDS LIKE A DEAL! IN RETURN FOR YOU THINKING HAPPY THOUGHTS, I’LL MAKE YOU MY BEST FRIENDSHIP SPAGHETTI WHEN WE GET HOME…………………... ALTHOUGH…. I WAS ALREADY PLANNING ON IT………..”

 

Smiling, I give Papyrus a thumbs up.

 

“Sounds good!”

 

Once we were done, we put the garbage bag by the door to be dealt with later and went to my room. The door was already open, and I saw Sans looking intensely at my desk.

 

“Is there something wrong?”

 

Sans turned a bit, looking at me, and shook his head.

 

“There is nothing wrong, I’m just trying to figure out how I’m even going to get these out of this room. Are you guys done?”

 

“YUP! WE CLEARED OUT THE FRIDGE!”

 

“Nice. All we need to do now is get this stuff out of here and get the stuff for your cats, and we are free to go, Finally! I feel like this took forever.”

 

Looking ar Sans, I asked,

 

“What should we do to help you?”

 

Sans rubbed his chin with his skeletal fingers.

 

“Well, do you have any screw drivers, or can you open that window?”

 

I look behind him at the window. _He's right! That's a great Idea!_ I stared at the widow, trying to remember if it had a screen or not.  This window not only had a great view of a small clearing of trees, but it was also not too far away from the dumpster. I always closed the blind at night and when I was inside my room changing or something, but when I wasn't, the blinds were opened.

No one usually walked near where this window opened up anyway. This was because there wasn't anything but woods, and another exit that no one used. This exit was close to where I found the kittens, and it hadn't even been properly paveed for a long time. It led to an alternate road that could be used to get around traffic and other things. It was really kinda surprising that it wasn't in use, but because it wasn't paved properly, very few people actually took the risk. This led to people not even remembering or even knowing that this was here in the first place. Because no one went this way, I didn't really have to worry about anyone seeing me, but I was still careful. I paid extra to get a nicer, thicker type of glass for this window, just in case. I walked closer to the window, past Sans, and looked at the screen. It was easy to remove that part, which made it even easier to do all of this.

 

I opened my window and pushed back the screen all the way, making just enough room for my bed frame to fit it if it didn't have its legs. I looked at my desk and came to the same conclusion.

 

“Oh well. At least we are closer to the dumpster now!”

 

Sans and Papyrus nodded in agreement.

 

“All we need now is a screwdriver. Do you have one in any of your stuff?”

 

I thought for a moment, trying to remember where I put my toolbox, when I remembered I had last used it to fix on of my drawers in the kitchen. Afterwards, where did I put it? Hmm… oh!

 

“Oh yeah! My tool box is next to my cat items!”

 

“Can you go get that for me?”

 

I nodded, then left the room. After a quick pat to my very patient kitties, I quickly rushed back to my room. Handing the rather small sized tool kit to Sans, I blushed.

 

“I hope this is enough for you…… I’m not all that great with this kind of stuff so I don’t really have many tools that could help in this situation, just a small kit.”

 

Sans opened the kit, and looked at my small collection of assorted tools. Amongst the small collection was a small hammer, a couple allen wrenches of various sizes, a small pair of pliers, a tape measure, a normal wrench, and, a screwdriver with different sized tips.  

 

“This isn't actually that bad of a kit. Many of this stuff can be used for a variety of situations, but all we need are a couple of allen wrenches, and a screwdriver.”

 

With that, we set out to work first splitting the desk down into boards by unscrewing everything by either using the right size allen wrench or screwdriver, Once we did that, Papyrus and I pushed that through the window. I easily passed through, but for Papyrus, it was quite a squeeze. We went through the window, dragging all of the board pieces of my old desk out, one by one.

Once we were done with those we got the bed boards that Papyrus and I had to move together. We took the last boards and any of the other components like screws, and threw them in the dumpster. We went back in through the window, and I closed back up the screen and window. I sighed. Our work was almost over. Looking over at Papyrus and Sans, although I was trying to think about good things, I was still reminded that these two were risking quite a lot just to help. I had a feeling that I would think about that for a while, no matter what Papyrus and Sans said. 

 

“All we need to do is grab the cats stuff and we can leave.”

 

“FINALLY! I CAN’T WAIT TO SHOW YOU OUR HOME!”

 

With that, we went out of my room and into the now much larger looking living room to see my cats waiting patiently. I had practically forgot that they were there! I gently scooped up Magic and his siblings and sat cross legged near their mother. Gently stroking there very long and fluffy fur, I looked around at the few items I would need to either replace or bring with me. I would need to either clear out and clean or replace their litter box, but I would rather go with the latter option because it would be quicker, easier, and much safer and sanitary as a whole. I wouldn't want to just plop there litter box next to my clothes, as that would be pretty gross.

There as also there food and water bowls including their mothers food dish which is now next to her kittens food dish.

Then of course, there are two carrier bags and their food itself, the two different types of cat food are wet food, which the younger cats won’t need soon that comes in a can, and the dry food, which comes in a bag. The cans could probably be just put at Sans’s feet in a bag, as well as the other bag. The food and water bowls can be put in a grocery bag as well.

 

 “It looks like it would be a good Idea to bring everything but their litter box and scoopers with us, as it would just make our life easier. I do have just enough money to get-”

 

“THERE IS NO NEED FOR YOU TO BUY ANYTHING! WE WILL DO IT. AFTER ALL, IT'S ON US THAT YOU HAVE TO THROW IT OUT IN THE FIRST PLACE.”

 

“But-”

 

“NOPE! NO BUTS!”

 

Papyrus looked like he was not going to take no for an answer, so I just conceded in defeat. These guys refuse to let me pay them back for this, and it's going to drive me insane! They are so good at being kind to me. So good, in fact, that are giving me a run for my money! I haven't been taken care of like this for years…. 

 

_______

 

“ALL DONE! NOW THAT WE HAVE ALL OF THIS STUFF TOGETHER, LETS GO!”

 

Sans and I nodded. Knowing that we could finally leave made me feel a little more at ease. Looking around at my now barren apartment made mean feel a twinge of sadness. There were so many memories in this place, and to leave it makes me feel almost nervous, like I’m leaving the safety of my den to explore the great unknown. But….. there's also a feeling of exhilaration for what's in store. I will finally get to do what dad and I dreamed of doing; moving to the monster territories, and out of this place. I knew that although I felt that small bit of sadness, this was for the best. I will finally be free to do want I had wanted to do for so long. I picked up my box of plants that sat by the door.

 

“Lets go.”

 

As we walked out, Papyrus carrying the food and other items, and Sans carrying my cats in there respective carriers, I lagged behind to take one last look around. Setting my box back down, I flipped the switch, and took my key and put it on the doorknob. I didn't really care anymore if it were to be stolen, although I knew it probably wouldn't be likely. Why would someone want a key for an empty room that was going to get its locks changed anyway? I quickly picked my box back up and hurried back to Sans and Papyrus.

now that I was paying attention to it, Papyrus's head was only about three to four inches to the ceiling. To be fair, the ceiling was fairly short for most normal ceilings, so it made sense. _I wonder how tall most skeletons are? For all I know, they could be commonly as short as I am, like Sans, or as tall as Papyrus! I can’t wait to meet all of the people who are going to be my new house mates. What will the house look like?_ I was abruptly woken up by Papyrus.

 

“ROSE, WAS THERE SUPPOSED TO BE THIS MANY CARS?”

 

“Huh? What do you mean?”

 

“WELL, THERE ARE A COUPLE CARS THAT HAVE JUST PULLED UP THAT ARE STARTING TO BLOCK THE EXIT.”

 

He pointed to the main exit way, where A few cars were beginning to pull up, talking there sweet time. They seemed to be trying to block traffic, and it took me a second to realize why they would be trying to do that.

_Hmm.. that's weird, why would they………. oh…._

  
  


_Uh oh….._

 

_Not good._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> \--------  
> Rose- I hope we can leave soon. I don't know how much longer we have....
> 
> The GREAT AMAZING PAPYRUS!!!- I HOPE MY BROTHER IS ALL RIGHT.... HE DOS'NT SEEM LIKE HE TOOK WHAT ROSE SAID VERY WELL..... BUT..... I CAN'T REALLY JUDGE...... CAN I? I FEEL THE SAME WAY. ALL I CAN DO FOR NOW IF HELP ROSE THROUGH THIS. 
> 
> Sans- Someones gonna have a VERY bad time. 
> 
> \----------  
> Scele group chat!!
> 
> Blue texted sans< OH COOL! ARE THEY NICE? 
> 
> Stretch texted sans< what should we do to get ready for them?
> 
> Red texted Sans< who are they? Any Ideas? is one of the other 'cousins' moving in?
> 
> Edge texted Sans< WHY THE HELL ARE WE HAVING SOMEONE ELSE MOVE IN!? WE ALREADY ARE GOING TO HAVE TO DEAL WITH THE OTHERS SOON! THEY BETTER BE QUIET! 
> 
> Red texted Edge< Boss, don't take this the wrong way, but there is no way anyone could have a louder mouth than you. I mean this with the most respect possible.
> 
> Edge texted Red< YOUR LUCKY I'M PREPARING MY 'WELCOMING SPEECH' RED!!!
> 
> Stretch texted Edge< ooh! do tell! what does your speech sound so far? you plan on charming our newcomer with your 'lovely' voice?
> 
> Edge texted Stretch< DON'T YOU DARE ASHTRAY! NOW SHUT UP I'M TRYING TO WORK!
> 
> Blue texted Edge< OH! THAT SOUNDS LIKE FUN! I'LL MAKE ONE TO!  
> \-------------------  
> I am SO SORRY this took so long to get out!! I was busy with school ( and I kinda, sorta, maybe procrastinated just a tiny bit...) I was just really worry that my chapter had to be perfect, so I worried about it. I plan on fixing these Hiatuses, I just need to now what type of chapter you guys want. Would you guys want me to post one big chapter every couple of weeks, (2-5 weeks) or post a smaller chapter every week to two weeks? Tell, me if you can, so I can adjust accordingly. I work better with a deadline, and It could give me a better schedule. And one last thing.  
> Thank you all so much for reading my work at all! If you guys see any errors that I could change, just tell me, and I can fix them! My next chapter will definitely not be this long, but it should be out sooner. (I hope that I will never have to make you guys wait this long ever again...)


	5. The Games They Play (meeting the Skelbros)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jack and his buds have officially arrived... Just how will this play out I wonder?
> 
> chapter revised

“We need to leave right now!”   
  


“WHAT'S WRONG?”

 

“They are here! Get in the car, and do not head towards the main road. We are going to have to take a detour!” 

 

We rushed into Papyrus’s fancy car. The second everyone closed their doors, Papyrus immediately put down the stuff in his arms, scrambled to turn on his car, and started moving. With my plant box on my lap, My cats in there cat carriers on Sans’s lap, and my cats items at his feet, Papyrus skillfully maneuvered through the parking lot, first by backing up then going straight for the alternate exit, being mindful of the dumpster and everything else around him.

I nervously checked the cars at the main exit. A couple of people had gotten out, And I noticed Jack scanning the cars. Then, he noticed us. The fact that he didn't notice us sooner doesn't really make sense to me, as Papyrus’s car is very bright, and its color is a harsh contrast to the dull and dirty cars in the rest of the lot. It is rare to see a car this expensive here, so we stood out like a sore thumb. I saw him turn his head and bark orders at everyone behind him, then jump back into his car. _Nope nope nope nope!_

 

“Not good! _Notgood!_ ” 

 

I was on the verge of a nervous breakdown! What if we get caught? My friends are going to get hurt!

 

“It's going to be okay Rose, take some deep breaths, and relax. We will be fine. There is no need to be worried. My brother is a really fast driver, and knows where a lot of shortcuts are.”

 

Papyrus quickly turned into the alternate road, and almost immediately floored the gas pedal. I wasn't ready for it, so I nearly slammed my face into the back of Papyrus’s seat. I heard the sound of my cats meowing in displeasure. They probably weren't going to like this trip. My box lurched forward, and the pots and the plants inside rattled a bit, but thankfully they were fine. 

 

“I’M VERY SORRY ABOUT THIS, BUT YOU MAY WANT TO BRACE YOURSELF FOR A BUMPY RIDE.”

 

We move swiftly across the poorly paved road occasionally hitting potholes that made everything in the car jump a little. I looked behind us nervously to see that the cars were only just now getting on the road, and were very far away, getting farther by the second. Although there was a lot of stuff beside me, I was not squished. I wondered how the trunk looked. Papyrus was right to assume that all of my stuff would fit into his car. Somehow, all of my stuff had fit into this space. I must have fewer things than I thought I had? 

  
  


“IT SHOULD PROBABLY ONLY TAKE US TWENTY FIVE TO THIRTY MINUTES TO GET HOME.”

 

 

“What? How? Isn't it at least an hour away? Where do you live?”

 

“We live near the back of monster territories in that forested area up there”

 

Sans pointed up at the lowest point of the mountain, which was still quite high up. It was very hard to see, and it looked like it was way farther than just thirty minutes away.

 

“What's the route you guys take? Don’t you have to go through a border cross first?”

 

“Well, we do that, then go through a bit of the main monster roadways until we take a shortcut by using back roads. We have lived in this house for a couple years now, so we have had some time to perfect the ways we get there.  It's somewhat far away from everything else, so many of the roads aren't paved. It's pretty nice to be far away from everything though, so it's definitely worth the effort. It's got a pretty great view, and there is even a waterfall with a lake that trickles down into the area below in the monster territories. It's pretty awesome, and for the most part, we have all of the wilds to ourselves. It's nice, you'll definitely like it.”

 

Sans finished just as we made it to paved road. I looked behind us to find that the cars were still in the distance. If we end up stopping for any reason, the cars will have time to close in. We have to be careful. Papyrus slows down the vehicle at a lone stop sign, looks both ways, and pushes forward again with intensity. _This is all my fault… We wouldn't even be in this mess if it didn't take me so long to concentrate on cleaning. What if we had left even a couple minutes later? My friends could of been hurt!........... Or worse…._

I looked up. Papyrus was concentrating hard on the road, and he was periodically looking at his rear view mirror. Each time he did, his face would change. For a split second, I could see the worry he was hiding. It only lasted a second, and after that second was over, he went back to a look of concentration. _He was hiding his fear so we wouldn't worry._

The next time he looked, he caught me staring at him, and immediately stopped looking scared in the slightest. 

 

“SO……. HOW ARE YOU FEELING ABOUT THIS MOVE ROSE? I WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT YOU WILL BE COMFORTABLE AT OUR HOME.”

 

He was definitely trying to distract me, although, why should that be a problem? I might as well pretend to not be afraid either…. Right? After all, Papyrus told me not to worry, and seeing me worried probably makes him more nervous than he was already! 

 

“Well, I feel more comfortable with you guys than I have been with others in a while, so even though I’m doing something new, I feel safer than I could have been with anyone else I know.” 

  
  


It really was strange. Why _did_ I feel so calm with them? I somehow felt that it wasn't just because they were nice to me. There was something more.

I shrugged it off, and began thinking about the other people I was going to live with.

Were they human? Or monster? Would I fit in? Or would they be annoyed by my inevitable shyness? When I meet a group of people, or do something different than I have been doing before, I have to fight the urge to hide in my ‘shell’. I become fearful of different problems that may arise, and instead of facing them head-on, I hide. This is another cruel side effect of my past, but I don’t want it to be part of my future.

I look behind us again to find that the cars were only dots. Although I was still nervous about them, there was nothing I could do. I look in front to find that we were coming back to paved roads and more buildings again instead of backroads, meaning the entrance to the monster territories was getting closer. Unlike with the royal palace, and the royal territories, which were almost completely inaccessible except by rail cars that go up to higher parts of the mountain, the monster territories had a small man/monster made wall to differentiate between the monster territory, and the human one.

The ‘royal mountain’, as it is often called, is basically impenetrable, and has been for centuries. This new monster territory had no such luxury, and at the time of its conception, many people were not happy with the existence of monsters, especially after they learned that they retained their magic. It proved the ‘myth’ of magic that we all were taught was not just a legend, or only nursery rhyme for children to enjoy. 

The existence of magic complicated things. Many people were angry that monsters had this power, and said that they should be ericated for the betterment of human society. Our king stepped in. As sickly of a man as he was, he still cared about his people. Many people say he should have retired from his position as king years ago, but whenever my father heard this, he would retort, ‘he isn’t that old, and his mind is still strong, as is his will to live’. My father trusted our king greatly.

What is my father thinking of me now? Is he even able to think of me? would he think it is Ironic that I was asking these questions, when there was a time were I would have been be asking my new friends about the new places I would finally get to see, and people I would finally be able to meet? But not anymore, I guess. I’m too busy thinking of the past to think of the present.

The gift I was just given. I smiled. He would tell me to save the daydreaming for later. After all, I should be asking what kind of place the monster territory _even is_! I had remembered hearing from some of the friends of my dad that the monster territories were amazing.

After all, humans and monsters living in harmony sounded like paradise! He said that when he had visited, the human people living there were very kind, as were the monsters. He had said that he talked to some people who had just moved there and had enrolled their children into Toriel's school.

At first, they were sceptical of a monsters abilities to teach human children, but Toriel had helped their kids better than any other teacher there child had had previously, and their kids had already been accepted by the other children. Those people had apparently had problems with bullying, but no such things happened. The kids would apparently play games for monsters and humans, and no child was left behind.

He also found that every monster he met was friendly, if a little shy. It had sounded like such a fairy-tale to me, that when my father died, I had almost lost hope that it didn't even exist, and that the so-called monster population was just a lie to make me feel even more alone than I had been at the time. But now, I finally get to do what I had wanted to do for so long.

I looked up to see that we had just gotten into a fork in the road. Left was toward the royal castle, and right was toward the main entry point to the monster territories. I looked behind us, bracing myself for the possibility that they were still close. But when I looked back, I couldn't even see them. I breathed a sigh of relief, then looked at the clock in Papyrus’s nice car. It took me a couple seconds to realize that only five minutes had passed.

I tried to redo the math in my head a couple of times, but I got the same number every time. I had thought that this back road was longer than the main road, but people who would come into the store regularly who live close to the monster territories always said that it would take them ten to fifteen minutes on a good day with very little traffic to get to the store, which is, or was, across from where I lived, but maybe that backroad really is a shortcut and I just didn't know it?

After all, I didn't exactly own a car to check, so maybe I had been wrong on my assumption? Well, it didn't really matter now, as I probably won’t be back here for a while, if at all. After all, what would there be that I cared about? My only living relatives have been out of my life for a while, when I left their home they so ‘gracefully provided me’. It was the best joke they ever said. But even then, it didn't matter.

They lived at the bottom of the mountain near the royal territories. What else have I left behind? Other than…….. Him? Then again, he has more than enough power to find someone else. What few other acquaintances I know will probably forget my existence in time. Or maybe they will assume Jack finally decided that he wanted a pet again? I left very few friends, but It had been so long since I had talked to them, they probably thought the same thing. They wouldn't dare to even try to find out, and I wouldn't want them to even if I had become his pet. I wouldn't want them to risk their lives for mine. I have also brought all of my possessions, but I had less than I thought. The only other things I left were the memories of my sorrow and loss. 

 

“ROSE, ARE YOU ALRIGHT? WHAT IS WRONG? DO YOU NOT FEEL WELL?”

 

To my surprise, I had not been startled by Papyrus’s booming voice that contrasted my silent thoughts, and the quiet bumping of Papyrus car along the road. I felt my face to feel that I had been crying very slightly. Even though I hated the idea of lying, I knew that he was nervous already, so me saying something about my problems and sadness would only make it worse. As much as I trusted them already, thrusting all of my problems onto them on what was potentially my first day of friendship was too much. 

 

“I'm okay, I just got some dirt that was my hands from my plants into my eyes, that's all. It's sweet of you to worry though.”

 

I went through the motions of wiping my eyes on the inner part of the top of my shirt, then thought about what to ask them to change the subject.  Thankfully, I was cut off by us coming up to the checkpoint. Papyrus carefully maneuvered his car into the area to be checked, which made me wonder how did they regulate who came in and out, as well as the overall security?

 

“Sans, how do they decide who is allowed to come in?”

 

Sans looked back at me with his normal smile. 

 

“If you are afraid they won’t let you in, don’t be. As long as you are with monsters, don’t have weapons like guns on you, or don’t have a criminal record, you are fine. It may not seem like the safest security, but must people who would think to do something stupid would never want to do it amongst a group of monsters, as funnily enough, they are afraid we will use voodoo, black magic, or something silly like that. Because of that, We usually don’t have problems, but when we do, Undyne and her police force deal with it. It almost never gets physical. Plus, you're with Papyrus, who is quite popular.”

 

“May I ask why?”

 

“I’M THE AMBASSADOR FOR MONSTER-HUMAN RELATIONS! A LOT OF PEOPLE KNOW ME BECAUSE OF THAT.”

  
  


“Really? I’m surprised I didn't hear of you sooner! You probably have quite a few fans in the monster territories then, I assume?”

 

“YES! I EVEN KNOW MOST OF THE POLICE FORCE, AS WELL AS THE GUARD! THERE IS NO NEED FOR YOU TO WORRY ABOUT ANYTHING. AS THE AMBASSADOR, ANYONE I TRUST IS TRUSTED JUST AS WELL BY THE KING AND QUEEN.”

 

I nodded, and let the waves of relief wash over me. The idea that I may not be let in had haunted me for a while, though I had been so nervous with everything else that I hadn't thought of it until we pulled up into the entrance to the monster territories. To live in this place was my hope and dream for so long, but I had been afraid that my bad luck with fate would keep me in my small area forever, so close to freedom that I could almost touch it, but yet so far that I had thought of it as only a fantasy conjured up from my desperate mind. Seeing it up close made me feel like my dreams were becoming reality. Papyrus carefully maneuvered to the window from the checkpoint, and waited for the guard inside to lift up the swing gate, then carefully pushed his car forward up to the window. 

 

“May I have you reason for coming here toda- Oh wait! I’m so sorry! I didn't recognize you at first! Can I have your autograph?”

 

“OF COURSE! DO YOU HAVE ANY PAPER ON HAND? I HAVE A PEN, SO I’M BASICALLY SET. WHAT DO YOU WANT ME TO WRITE?”

 

I looked forward through my window to see The human guard, who looked like he could be eighteen to nineteen, red with excitement. He looked like he was about to burst, and he rushed to grab a paper, then hastily handed it to Papyrus.

 

“I-I’m so nervous! I guess you can just sign your signature? O-of course, if that's okay with you, sir”

  
  


“OF COURSE! WHY WOULDN'T IT BE? I DON’T MIND SIGNING AUTOGRAPHS, AND AM JUST HAPPY THAT YOU ASKED! IT SHOWS THAT I AM DOING MY JOB IF SOMEONE KNOWS WHO I AM AND ARE WILLING ENOUGH TO ASK FOR SUCH THINGS.”

  
  


Papyrus handed back the paper, then moves the car forward as he waved goodbye to the guard, who was now on the verge of fainting. Papyrus then shut his window, the continued down one way lane, until he reached the main street. 

 

“That didn't take long. Are we already on the main street? That is really convenient!”

 

I looked around, and saw a couple passerby of both races, casually going about their business. There was even some intermingling amongst both races, with some groups having one or more monsters, while in other cases, the humans were the minority. Out of almost all the people we passed, however, one thing stayed the same. They all looked happy. There were no worried faces or scared looks, and no one had to worry about crossing the street to stay away from a gang's favorite side of the street. The happy nature of this area was so alluring and calm, yet so real. It wasn't a facade played by rich people who acted different around others in public, like what happened around the royal palace and its territories, and it wasn't a dream. I am so happy that I get to be a part of it.

 

“Are the people always like this?”

 

“WHAT DO YOU MEAN?”

 

“It just feels….. So peaceful. I can’t even hear outside right now, but from what I can see, the community looks so calm and… and happy.”

 

“Don’t get the wrong Idea. This place isn't perfect. There are still flaws. There isn't rampant crime, but because people aren't restricted, and very people can’t not get in, there are bad people who slip through the cracks. But is a pretty amazing place to live.” 

 

I could sense some tension in Sans’s voice, but there was no way to know for sure besides from just asking him, which was something I did not have the guts to do. As we passed through the community, Sans-and occasionally Papyrus when he could- pointed out various shops and points of interest.

 

“OH! RIGHT OVER THERE IS MUFFET'S BAKERY! SHE SELLS THE BEST PASTRIES AND BAKED GOODS IN TOWN!”

 

I looked over to where he was pointing to see a purplish tinted building with spiders decorating the inside. Maybe the monster just really like spiders? 

 

“I’LL TAKE YOU CHECK HER BAKERY OUT LATER….. IF YOU’D LIKE ME TOO? IT'S UP TO YOU…”

 

The very idea of Papyrus thinking I would be apprehensive made me feel awful inside, so before I even thought of what that might mean I blurted out,

 

“Sure! I’d be delighted to! It's a date!”

 

Braincells reloading. Assessing data……. date.word=? OOf.  My brain, realizing that I basically just asked my friend-that i’ve only known sense today-to a date, was trying to think of a way to dig my way out of the hole I just dug. Apparently Papyrus was having the same brain cell failure, because when I looked at his face through the rear view mirror, he looked like learned that his favorite show that was canceled was getting another season. I couldn't see Sans’s face, but I would guess he was probably having a grand old time. 

 

“Uhhh… I…. I’m….. uh… Sorry about that, I didn't mean for it to come out that way…”

 

“OF COURSE! IT IS ALRIGHT. I JUST GOT A BIT SHOCKED AS WELL. IT WILL BE A FRIENDLY HANGOUT!”

 

Papyrus looked relieved, but for some reason, I sensed a bit of sadness or disappointment as well.  Trying to read the expressions of skeletons that somehow have some sort of bone skin…. Or something…. Is really hard.

 

The rest of the car ride was silent as I Looked in awe outside my window. We left the town and branched off onto another road, which looked like it led up on the other side of the mountain.

We started to see less and less houses until the was nothing but forest. I had never really seen forestry up close before, and the early spring buds that were growing on all the trees we passed was a lovely sight to behold with my own eyes.

I was eager to see what these buds would look like when they turned to flowers, but for now, I would have to be patient. Sometimes it is hard to wait for plants and trees to grow, but being patient can be rewarding. I had learned that from many of the different plants that have been in my care, but unfortunately, or fortunately, depending on how I looked at it, a lot of them I had left up in the castle to be looked after by one of the gardeners there.

She was more than happy, especially when he came to visit me…. I shook my head clearing my thoughts. Every time I try to think of something related to the castle, I think of him. He said-no he _promised_ \- something I didn't ask for. he said he would come for me eventually… I wonder when? If at all.

After all, The _prince_ shouldn't focus on a girl like me. I had told him that myself, didn't I?

I told him that he had a kingdom to run, and that he had plenty more suited suitors; girls who would look and act better as a queen.

Last time I tried on a fancy dress i looked like a fool; flat chest, almost dangerously thin from under eating, dirty blond hair that refused to look nice for more than an hour at a time. 

the dress had to have long sleeves to hide my scars. No showing skin. My skin was so pale that I looked like a vampire. I didn't feel comfortable wearing formal clothing, and still don’t. It reminds me of the fake smiles that many of the people of the court wear, including my aunt and uncle.

Fake smiles. Lavish dances that no one comes to to dance. They come to gain power and respect. They butter up each other like they are all pieces of toast, and if they could get anymore buttered, they would instantly kill someone with the amount of cholesterol. I got to see what our 'superiors' were talking about. These people are supposed to help us, and instead they are only helping themselves. I do not understand the games they play, and I don’t want to. My aunt and uncle didn't like that very much, especially when they learned that the prince favored me, and they tried to glamour me up like a doll. A little toy, a piece of there army, like a pawn for their game. That was one thing I was thankful for from the prince. He helped me escape that.  But then, when he let those faithful words go, I ran away again. 

 

Eventually we came upon a clearing, and the dirt road changed into a gravel one. I looked around with interest, but then I turned my eyes to the left, gasping at what I saw. With a quick glance one could notice that they were at a higher elevation even if they did not have the context of the area, but If they knew what I did, they would be in awe as well. If I strained my eyes and looked past the gorgeous field of flowers-some I had never even seen before- I could see something that peaked my interest only a little more. If I looked far enough, I could see that the royal castle was only a little higher than this cliff. That must mean…

 

“If you want to, Rose, you can go check it out. Just be careful, that fence still needs to be repaired, so I suggest staying away from the edge.”

 

I nodded and opened the car door, then rushed outside and ran toward the field. Just as I thought, when I came close enough, I could see the monster territories below.

The cars looked like little ants, and the houses and buildings nothing more than toys. You could see past even the monster territories to; If you looked far enough left, you could see where the edge of the monster territory met the ocean, as well as the river that lead into it from the lake below. I looked over to my right then, and farther up the mountain there was a waterfall that feed into the lake.

Plants and trees were embracing spring with open arms, and some of the flowers in this field, including a pretty blue one that I guessed to be the magical echo flower that I had read about online and in books were in full bloom. It was an absolutely gorgeous sight to behold, and I never would have imagined I would ever see anything like this.

 

“It gorgeous, isn't it? I would let you look at it forever if I could, but for now I need to introduce you to your new housemates.”

 

I thought I heard Sans mumble,

 

“Let's get this done as soon as possible”

 

“Huh?”

 

Sans looked at me and smiled reassuringly.

 

“Oh, that came out wrong didn't it? I meant that I wanted to get this over with as soon as possible so we can all eat!”

 

I chuckled nervously. 

 

“Ok let's go then!”

 

“For today, we are using the front. When we show you around the house later though, you will be free to use the other exits as well.”

 

When I turned to face the house, my jaw dropped. The house in front of me could hardly be considered a ‘house’, and would better fit the description of a manor, or even a small mansion. I had been so busy looking at the view that I someone completely missed the huge house right in front of me. _Great job Rose. What wonderful eyes you have. You somehow missed a building larger than your old apartment complex!_

I inwardly cringed at my stupidity as I walked along the path towards the door. The front third of the ‘house’, or the part that I could see, was not covered by trees, and was completely open to the field, but the back end of the house, which was where I guessed another exit probably was, was more hidden by trees, that seemed to show the start of a forest. From what I can see, the trees were much taller and larger overall farther in, and the house was probably built here because it could not be built much farther without cutting down and digging up the roots of these huge trees, so in the end the builders gave in and set it just at the end of the forest. Maybe they wanted a mixture of open field and forest, and wasn't willing to choose? I was daydreaming so much that I didn't even notice when the path stopped, and I was at the foot of the door.

 

“ARE YOU READY ROSE? I THINK THAT SANS ARRANGED FOR ALL OF YOUR NEW HOUSE MATES TO GREAT YOU. HE IS INSIDE NOW!”

 

Feeling suddenly shy, I asked quietly, 

 

“Do you think they will li-like… me?

 

“OF COURSE THEY WILL! YOU ARE VERY SWEET! OF COURSE, IT MIGHT TAKE EDGE A LITTLE TIME TO OPEN UP, BUT...-BUT IF HE DOESN'T LIKE YOU, HE HAVE TO TAKE IT UP WITH ME!”

 

Papyrus took a heroic stance, and I could have sworn that a ray of sunshine suddenly illuminated him. His scarf stared billowing like a cape behind him from a sudden gust of wind. His sheer heroic aura was too much, and my frightened, shy nature withered away from the aura of Papyrus.

 

“Thanks Papy! I makes me feel better to know I have you on my side!”

 

I gave Papyrus a hug, and added, faintly, in such a whisper that I would not be heard by him,

 

“If I didn't have your guys' help, I don’t know how much longer I would have lasted…”

 

I let go to find Papyrus blushing again, his face frozen.

 

“Oh no! Are you alright?! I should have asked first! I’m sorry, It won’t happen aga-”

“NO-NO. yOU DIDN'T DO ANYTHING WRONG! YOU WERE JUST SHOWING YOUR GRATITUDE. I DID NOT EXPECT YOU TO BE WILLING TO DO THAT, AND TO BE HONEST, I WANTED TO HUG YOU TO! I AM PROUD OF YOU FOR GOING THAT FAR! THAT MEANS YOU ARE ALREADY ON STEP CLOSER TO OPENING UP, AND WE ARE ALREADY ON THE ROAD TO BEING EVEN BETTER FRIENDS!”

 

His cheery face and happy attitude is infectious, and It makes me smile wider. 

 

“Lets go inside then! I don’t want my new housemates to be left waiting!”

 

Papyrus nodded in agreement, then opened the door, and entered first, accidentally blocking my view. 

 

I step inside then move to be beside him, fighting the urge to not be shy and hide behind him.

 

“HI THER-HUH? WHO IS THIS?”

 

I couldn't help it, and started to hide behind Papyrus. So many eyelights on me! 

 

“WELL, AT LEAST THEY DON’T LOOK LIKE THERE LOUD!”

 

....

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm sorry about the late post! im in a bit of a rush......
> 
> PAPY THE GREAT AND LUXURIOUS!!!-It nice to be going home... It feels like its been taking months. I can't wait to introduce Rose to Blue!  
> Sans- I hope it is a good idea to not tell everyone that the roommate is a human girl, and not one of the other skeles...Oh well! we will found out soon enough.  
> Blue- My speech is going great!  
> Edge- My speech is going to be fantastic! Those new skeletons will know who is boss around here!  
> Stretch-just gonna take a nap before the new person arrives! I have to look my best after all lol  
> Red-might as well have some mustard.


	6. Rose Finally meets more of the sceles (meeting the skelebros)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Rose finally meets more skeletons, some being nicer than others, and some being Edge..... oops, I meant Edgier.

 

I don’t think I was ever feeling more shy than how I was feeling right now. I wanted so badly to just run back to Papyrus’s car and hide next to my plants, but I knew that I would have to come out of my comfort zone someday, right?

I peeked out from behind Papyrus and accessed my new housemates. Over all, minus Sans and Papyrus, there were four skeletons, each different, but surprisingly similar. I felt that they must be related, and I wondered whether or not to ask Papyrus or Sans later. 

 

First up was a skeleton that was a bit shorter than Sans. This little guy was the one that talked talked to me first, although he looked surprised when he saw who I was. Maybe he thought I was going to be a monster? This little one was wearing an adorable bluish tinted scarf that wrapped around his neck and was tied together like a rather large bow. His eyelights were that pretty blue color as well, just like how Sans’s eyelights sometimes where that color, when they were not white. He also had blue themed attire including a shirt that had a little cat on it, and casual pants and boots. His hands where gloved, just like Papyrus, except they were the color of is scarf as well. He was loud like Papyrus too, having a very outgoing personality. He was holding a sign saying ‘WELCOME!’ the letters were made with what I assumed was blue glitter glue, and it had a cartoonish drawing of his face on it. It was absolutely adorable! It looks like he likes arts and crafts. I assumed that this one was probably Blue-the friend that Papyrus mentioned. Next to him was a much taller skeleton, only being a little shorter than Papyrus, but this was probably because he was slouching. His attitude was much more relaxed, like Sans, and he looked like he was about to fall asleep on his feet. He had a sucker in his mouth, and a sign in his hands that said ‘sup.’ this was written very sloppily, and on one part the sign had a large glob of glitter glue that looked like he had probably dropped some on it by accident, and just decided to leave it there. It was pretty silly, and appealed to my lazier side.  His attire was much more orange themed, with an orange hoodie, and brown jean-like pants, with pockets on the sides. I wasn't the best on clothes brands, but I could assume that they were probably comfy. His eyelights were an orange color, like papyrus, but this color was much lighter, almost like they reflected his lazy personality. He wore casual sneakers, with one side being haphazardly tied, the other being undone, like he just gave up, and decided that one being tied was enough. I had to resist the urge to jokingly scald him to tie his shoes, which could actually be considered a good sign. If I was willing to scald someone, It meant I was a little less afraid, right? 

 

Just a little to the left to them was the other two- a pair of rather edgy looking skeletons. There themes were much more gold, red and black, being darker colors. The shorter of the pair looked once again, like Sans. He was smiling casually, and I could see a gold tooth glittering faintly in his mouth. That rose some weird questions about the removal of bones from a skeleton, but I had a feeling that was not something that these skeletons would like me asking, so I kept it to myself, just like most of the other weird, and honestly invasive questions I had about them. Maybe I would eventually get to find out, but until then, I just had to have the questions eating at my brain.

 He was wearing an extremely fluffy coat with fancy looking golden zipper tracks, with the main fluffy part being white around the neck area, and the rest of the coat being black. He wore a red sweater underneath the coat, and a pair of shorts that were mainly black with one bright yellow gold stripe going down each outer side of both legs. He also wore sneakers, but thankfully his were tied and tucked under the tongues of his shoes. His eyelights were a deep red. The red color of his eyes matched his attire to a tee, and I could sense an almost dangerous feel to him, just like his partner. I could faintly see what I thought were scars on his skull, as if he had gotten into fights, but his scars were much smaller compared to the ones on his partner.

His partner had the most frightening look about him out of the bunch, and his distaste had been noted when he had talked about me. It doesn't seem like he likes meeting new people that much, and I couldn't blame him. I silently hoped that we would become friends someday, and laugh at how much of a shy person I was. I know quite a few people who would be afraid of him and his partner, as well as the entire group of skeletons as a whole, but I did not feel fear. His left eye was scarred very badly, with three rough lines going from were his eyebrows would be if he had them, all the way down past the upside down hole that was shaped like a heart- although his was much more thin than the other skeletons present, his being more in the shape of an upside-down v. All the skeletons had these holes that would be where a humans nose would be. He had a scarf like papyrus and Blue, but his was a bit more rugged, and I thought I noticed some long, black cat fur sticking to it.  _ This must be Edge! His name is a bit on the nose, however….. It almost feels like it would be rude to call him that, but I’m almost certain that Papyrus wouldn't call someone something they didn’t agree with, so I’m probably fine. He's the one who owns the cat then huh? I wonder if I could ask him about it to ease the tension. If I distract him, and my myself, I could act just a bit more normal, and get rid of this damn shyness! I can also see if he is a scary as he looks... _

 His entire look, and even his underling attitude matched the description of a monster, but I could feel somehow that this was simply not the case. I met quite a few people who looked scary, but they were actually quite nice! That was the case with Sam… He was a tall an almost burly dude with a bit of a tan, and he had looked like someone that people would not want to mess with. Many people had originally stayed away from Sam, but when I saw him, I knew he was alright. The way he took care of animals made me know that he was a kind person, and when I went to talk to him I found out that he was actually a bit shy. _ I just hope he is alright… _ I quickly made my mind return to the subject at hand. Although these skeletons didn’t exactly match the ‘shy type’, and they could be considered rough around the edges, I’ve seen true monsters, and they are much, much different than what people think. The monsters I know about wear pretty dresses, or fancy suits. I met some people with evil in there hearts, and these people were the people of the castle. They held a different kind of malice, one that was much harder to detect than a mob boss or gangster. They hide behind masks, and they have an easier time getting what they want. Of course, not all the people of the court acted this way, and I had met some true gems in my time up in the castle, but there were many more people that weren't gems in the sense. That doesn't mean I wasn't kind to them though. Just like I was going to do now, I always try to understand what makes people act the way they do. Just one look at the pair made me feel empathy for them. It was obvious that they had once lived in a bad place, and it seems likely that Sans and his brother probably helped them out somehow… just like they just did with me. Did they live in one of the worst parts of town? But why weren't they in the monster territories? Something wasn't right. Yet another question to add to the list. But now, unfortunately, is not the time for that. I must make it through this before I can get to the questions I had. By now we had been standing in silence for at least a couple seconds, and I wanted to break this awkward tension.

I moved out from behind Papyrus, and shakily said,

 

“Do you have a cat?”

 

I had directed my question at the skeleton I guessed to be Edge, and I hoped that I didn't just annoy him.

 

“HOW DO YOU KNOW THAT?!”

 

His face contorted into a mixture of shock and suspicion, and he warily looked at me with his deep red eye lights. The skeleton next to him started to look a bit nervous. 

 

I pointed to his scarf, and politely explained, with a hint of cheeriness in my voice,

 

“I was able to tell because you have cat fur on your scarf! I have cats as well, so I’ve gotten good at seeing that sort of thing.”

 

I started twiddling my thumbs, as the seconds ticked by in an awkward silence.

 

“OH. I GUESS THAT MAKES SENSE. YES, I DO HAVE A CAT. CAN I LEAVE NOW?”

 

I blushed, and turned beet red in color. I wasn't being rude by keeping them here, am I? Oh dear….

 

“Boss, that wasn't very…..” 

 

The skeleton beside him started talking, but stopped mid sentence when he saw the angry look on his partners face. I wanted to disappear so badly. Had I gotten the shorter skeleton in trouble somehow? _ I didn't want to do that... _

 

“ITS ALRIGHT HUMAN! EDGE IS JUST VERY GRUMPY! IF YOU WANT TO, YOU CAN HANG OUT WITH US WHILE EDGE SULKS.”

 

The little skelton smiled cheerfully holding out his sign, while the taller skeleton beside him shrugged and gave a thumbs up with one of his hands.

 

“Okay….” I faintly said, then added, “Thank you!”

 

I moved forward, then looked back at Edge and his edgy partner. He was fuming, but he didn't say anything. He probably didn't like that Blue talked about him like that, and I kind of wanted to make him feel better, but I had a feeling that he would not really appreciate it. Besides, If I did that, I would be undermining Blue. In this fight, I side with Blue. I just hope Edge understands why...

 

“COME ON RED. LETS GO.” 

 

Edge practically dragged the skeleton named red up the stairs. When Edge wasn't looking, Red winked at me, and waved. I shyly waved back. Edged opened a door before going in with Red, and then slammed the door shut.

 

I was left with Blue, his sleepy looking partner, Sans, and Papyrus.

 

“I’m sorry that didn't go better, but I knew that this would be a bit of a problem. Those two haven’t had the best lives, but the way Edge acted is unacceptable, and I will talk to him about i-”

 

Cutting Sans off, I shook my head, and said,

 

“Don’t. He didn't know I was coming, and I understand his anger. You telling him off about it will only make him feel like his opinion doesn't matter. Thank you for thinking about me, Sans, but this is something I will have to get used to. I would like for my relationship with my new housemates to be genuine, not something they feel like they are forced into doing.”

 

“THAT'S VERY POLITE AND UNDERSTANDING OF YOU ROSE, BUT DO YOU REALLY WANT TO DO THAT?”

 

I looked at Papyrus’s concerned face, and smiled.

 

“Of course! After all, he isn't the only one in the house, right? I still have you and Sans, and I have a feeling your friend,” gesturing to the little skeleton, “Will be just as happy to be buddies.”

 

Noticing that he was being mentioned, the little skelton excitedly bobbed up and down.

“SO YOUR NAME IS ROSE, RIGHT? I’M SO HAPPY TO MEET YOU! I’M SORRY THAT MY PROPER INTRODUCTION WAS CUT SHORT, I HAD A PROPER SPEECH PREPARED, BUT WHEN I SAW YOU WERE HUMAN, AND NOT A SKELETON TO, I GOT SURPRISED! I DON’T KNOW IF PAPYRUS ALREADY TOLD YOU THIS, BUT MY NAME IS BLUE! THIS SKELETON NEXT TO ME IS MY BROTHER, STRETCH! HE’S KIND OF LAZY, AND HE MAKES A  _ LOT _ OF ANNOYING PUNS, BUT HE IS PRETTY COOL!”

 

He gestured to his brother, who gave a chill wave.

 

“Sup. I’m stretch.”

 

I smiled at both of them, and politely nodded.

 

“Its very nice to meet both of you!”

 

“SO, WHAT KIND OF THINGS DO YOU DO?! DO YOU PLAY VIDEO GAMES? YOU SAID YOU HAVE CATS, ARE THEY NICE? CAN I SEE THEM?”

 

Before I could get overwhelmed by Blues’ energetic personality, Sans cleared his throat, and politely interjected.

 

“Blue, Rose just had a very hectic day, and still needs to get everything unpacked as well as get settled in. You can talk to her later, but right now she needs to get that stuff done first.”

 

I quickly added, 

 

“you can help me get those things done though! You brother can help if he wants to as well, but it's up to him. Papyrus, do you want to help?”

 

“SORRY ROSE, BUT I HAVE TO PREPARE MY FRIENDSHIP SPAGHETTI! AFTER ALL, I PROMISED I WOULD MAKE YOU SOME!”

 

Papyrus pointed to the right, where I could see a large kitchen. 

 

“I WILL BE IN THERE IF YOU NEED ANYTHING!”

 

I turned to Sans, who seemed a bit nervous as he looked over to the kitchen. 

 

“Is there anything you plan on doing? I could really use your help getting all that heavy stuff inside…”

 

“Sorry Rose, but I think I’m going to go supervise Papyrus. He often needs help making sure he puts in the right ingredients.”

 

I rose an eyebrow, at the statement, but I did not say anything. I watched as Sans hurried over to the kitchen.

 

I turned back to Blue and his brother Stretch. His brother looked even more tired than he was before, and it looked like he would fall asleep at any moment.

 

“You don’t have to help us if you don’t want to, you know that right?”

 

Stretch nodded tiredly. 

 

“Yup.”

 

“Umm… okay… do you need caffeine? I’m just afraid you might fall asleep while holding something and end up dropping it…”

 

“That's very  _ sweet  _ of you Rose, and I think that might be a good idea. After all, we don’t want me to be  _ dead  _ on my feet. I’ll go get a coffee from my room real quick. You can start working right now if you’d like.”

 

I nodded, trying to hide my giggles, and turned to Blue, who had just given his brother a half-hearted glare.

 

“Are you ready?”

 

“I SURE AM! I WILL BE ABLE TO HELP YOU, AND LEARN MORE ABOUT YOU TO! THIS IS GOING TO BE SO MUCH FUN!”

 

Blue was bouncing up and down, and every time he did the bow part of his scarf bounced with him, and the cape part billowed kind of like Papyrus’s does.

It was very adorable, and his high energy helped me get hyped up. 

 

“One moment, I just want to check up on my cats. They have been in those cages for a while, so I want to see if they are alright. Is it okay if I let them out? I don’t know where my room is yet, but I don’t want them to have sit in there for too long.”

 

“I’M SURE THAT IT WILL BE FINE! THE ONLY PLACE THEY COULD GO INTO IS IN THE KITCHEN, AND IT IS FINE IF THEY GO ON THE COUCH SET.  EDGE OCCASIONALLY LETS HIS CAT OUT WHEN NO ONE ELSE IS IN THE LIVINGROOM…..”

 

Blue shuddered.

 

“What's wrong?”

 

“IT'S NOTHING. HIS CAT IS JUST REALLY SCARY, THAT'S ALL.”

 

“Really? That's too bad. I think Papyrus and Sans said something about that as well. I was hoping that my cats and Edge’s cat would get along….”

 

“I’M SORRY TO DAMPEN YOUR SPIRITS LIKE THAT! BUT IT SHOULD BE FINE. AS I SAID, EDGE DOESN'T LET HIS CAT OUT UNLESS THERE IS NO ONE ELSE IN THE LIVING ROOM.”

 

 I went over to where Sans had set my cat carriers, and looked inside. My cats looked at me hopefully, as if to say ‘can you let us out already? We have been here forever!’

I bent down onto one knee and gently opened the cages, letting my poor kitties outside. They rubbed my legs in gratitude, and Magic pawed lightly on my leg, letting me know he wanted onto my lap, and I relented, knowing that I could never say no to any of my cats. The other kittens and their mother sat on the sides of my legs, and watched Blue carefully.

 

“THEY ARE ADORABLE! THEY SEEM TO LIKE YOU A LOT. IT SEEMS STRANGE THAT THE ONE IN YOUR LAP HAS GREEN EYES WHILE THE REST DON’T, THOUGH.”

 

I nodded, and replied,

 

“I don’t know who the father or fathers are, as I found them outside my apartment. It is possible that there were two or more fathers, with one father having green eyes, but I don’t know for sure. When Magic’s eyes first opened, they looked like they do now, when normally when a kitten’s eyes first open, they look blue because there isn't a lot of melanin in there systems.”

 

“Could it be that there was ‘magic’ involved?”

 

I turned my head to look at Stretch, who now looked more awake. He walked casually toward us with one hand in his pocket, and the other on what I assumed was a cup of coffee.

 

“What do you mean by that?”

 

“Oh nothing. I was just making a joke. It was a play on your little cats name. Which begs the question; why did you name your cat that?”

 

Stretch looked at me curiously. I quizzically looked at Blue, who shrugged his shoulders.

 

“I named him Magic because it was almost like it was a miracle, or by magic, that he survived.  Magic was tiny, being the runt of the litter, and he had been in very bad shape when I had found him with his siblings and mother. I had to bring him from what I felt was the brink of death. Now, even though he romps around with his siblings happily, I wanted to name him Magic to remind me that If I had given up on him, he may not be here to cuddle up with me.”

 

I picked Magic up under his front legs and gently set him down on the floor, then quickly got up before he could jump into my lap again and trap me on the ground,  keeping me petting him for the rest of the day. As much as I wanted to, I needed to get my things into the house and get everything set up before I could relax.

 

“I FIND IT ADMIRABLE THAT YOU HELPED THESE LITTLE KITTIES! IF YOU DIDN'T, I MAY NOT HAVE BEEN ABLE TO SEE THERE CUTE FLUFFY FACES!”

 

Blue gave Magic a little pat on the head.

 

I looked at stretch. He seemed to be deep in thought, but when he caught me looking at him, he smiled.

 

“Your cats seem so comfortable around you. I have heard that animals can be a good judge of character, but I don’t think I need to have an animal show me how kind you are. Your actions are good enough for me.”

 

I blushed, and asked,

 

“What do you mean?”

 

“If you haven't noticed already, which I find unlikely, Edge is kind of hot-headed. If I were in your situation, I would not have said anything to Sans about not scolding Edge, because in my opinion, he deserved it. But you found a way to empathize with him, and took the fact that he was going to be in your life as someone who is going to be living with you into account. The fact is, we need someone like you In this house. Sans does his best, but it's hard for him.”

 

My face got even redder, and I hastily replied,

 

“Oh I didn't do that much! I only did what I normally do. There is no need for such praise. I don’t want it to go to my head,”

 

Stretch chuckled.

 

“I don’t think you have much to worry about. Now, lets get your stuff inside, shall we?”

 

“LETS GO!”

 

I nodded.

 

As We excited out the door, me in front, Blue just slightly behind, and Stretch in the back, we walked toward Papyrus’s car. I noticed that there was a driveway that went along the side of the wooded area.

 

“THAT'S WHERE MY MOTORCYCLE IS PARKED! I CAN’T WAIT TO SHOW IT TO YOU LATER!” 

 

Little stars appeared in his eyes, and he seemed to get even more excited. I didn't know that there eyelights could change shapes! By the end of this my list of questions is going to be very, very long.

 

“I think I would enjoy that very much. I haven’t seen many motorcycles before, what color is it?”

 

As he skipped, he replied cheerfully,

 

“ITS BLUE, LIKE MY SCARF!”

 

I laughed, and wondered why I didn't guess. Blue really seemed to like the color blue, so it made sense for his motorcycle to be blue to! It just was hard to imagine Blue riding a motorcycle. He seemed so young to me, and I was scared that there would be some way for this adorable cinnamon roll to get hurt.

 

We continued forward as he gave me more facts about his motorcycle, which I politely listened to. Once we reached Papyrus’s car, I opened the unlocked drivers seat and pressed the button that Papyrus had used to open the trunk earlier. It opened with a click, and I got back out. 

 

“Okay Blue, for the most part, all of the stuff is fine to be handled normally, but that box of plants is going to be handled by me, because it is delicate and I plan on putting it somewhere safe. Feel free to carry everything else, and thank you very much for being willing to help me!”

 

“NO PROBLEM ROSE, JUST AFTER WE GET EVERYTHING DONE, DO YOU PROMISE TO HANG OUT WITH ME AND MY BROTHER FOR A BIT?”

 

“Of course Blue! It's the least I can do after all. It will give us more time to get to know each other!”

 

I opened the door where I had been sitting at before, then I carefully gathered my box of plants. I was kind of struggling to get out, and was just about to accept my fate when Stretch came to the rescue. 

 

“Honey, do you need help?”

 

I blushed a bit-because of the nickname and him offering help- and nodded.

 

“Yes, very much so. Thank you”

 

“Oh don’t sweat it. I’m just going to use my magic to make it easier.”

 

He took the box from my hands.

 

“You can use the magic Sans can use? That's so cool…”

 

“Yup. So can Red. Blue and Edge can use it a bit to, but me, Sans, and Red are the best at it. And up-”

 

The box was enveloped with a glow, like what happened when Sans used his magic, but this time the color was orange. I could see that his hand was glowing as well.

 

“Don’t worry, I’ll be careful with them. Just tell me were you would like me to set the box.”

 

“If you could set the box on the counter, that would be very appreciated. Thank you Stretch.”

 

“No probs. I’ll be back in a second”

 

I went back to work, going to the trunk, where Blue was carefully setting certain things on the gravel to be brought inside. 

 

“WHAT WOULD YOU LIKE ME TO BRING IN FIRST, ROSE?”

 

“Honestly, it doesn't really matter, but you could bring in the garbage bags first because they take up the most space and are filled with clothes and stuff to be put on my bed, but you can bring in whatever you think will be easiest for you. You didn't need to do this, so even just a little help makes me incredibly grateful!”

 

Blues face changed to a sort of pout.

 

“THAT'S LAME! WHAT KIND OF PERSON WOULD I BE IF I JUST LEFT YOU HERE TO DO THIS ALL BY YOURSELF? BESIDES, I AM A LOT STRONGER THAN I LOOK. THIS WILL BE MUCH QUICKER WITH THE GREAT AND MAGNIFICENT BLUE ON THE JOB! MWEH HEH HEH!”

 

To prove his point, he grabbed one of the huge bags that I would have had great difficulty carrying, hoisted it over his head no problem, and with his arms extended, he ran all the way to the door, opened it, gave the bag to Stretch, who was just about to come back outside, then ran all the way back, all the while whistling a cheery tune.

 

“Holy smoke! you’re right! That was fast!”

 

Blue made a cool pose, and dramatically replied,

 

“YOUR RIGHT! IT’S BECAUSE NO ONE IS GREATER THAN THE MAGNIFICENT BLUE!”

 

“With your help, this will be quick! We will be able to hang out even longer than I thought!”

 

“REALLY?! LET ME GET THIS DONE REAL QUICK THEN, SO WE CAN HANG OUT! THIS WILL BE SO MUCH FUN!”

 

He quickly grabbed a bag and dashed back to the door. He met Stretch once again, gave him the bag, then ran right back.

 

“How about this. I get something for you to grab out of the car, then you hand it to your brother at the door. This way we can still help.”

 

Blue nodded enthusiastically.

 

“WHATEVER WE CAN DO TO GET THIS DONE EVEN FASTER!”

 

And thus, it began. We rushed into action, me scrambling to get Blue something else to carry, Blue running to the door, and Stretch finding the energy to put what he was given by Blue down in the living room. At the rate we were going, it only took a couple of minutes to get everything inside the house, and It was more fun than I thought it would be! When we were done, I closed Papyrus’s car’s trunk and doors, then entered the house. I collapsed onto the green sofa along with Stretch, while Blue bounced around like someone who was heavily caffeinated. My cats came up onto the sofa and nestled on top and beside me, making a sort of fluffy blob that sat on me, and took up the space between me and Stretch. The mother kitty sat on my lap on this time, and she gladly accepted my pets as I talked to my housemates.

 

Exhausted, I jokingly asked Blue,

 

“How can you do that? If I had the energy you have all the time, I would be able to do so many more things! Are you always like this?”

 

“I’M NOT ALWAYS LIKE THIS! SOMETIMES, WHEN I’M SAD ABOUT SOMETHING, I GET MORE TIRED. I CAN ALSO GET TIRED AFTER LOTS OF TRAINING! THERE WAS ALSO THIS ONE TIME WHEN I HAD A LOT OF SUGAR…. BUT THAT IS ANOTHER STORY ENTIRELY… I WISH I COULD GIVE MY BROTHER SOME OF MY ENERGY THOUGH, HE’S SO LAZY ALL THE TIME!”

 

I laughed, and looked at Stretch, who was looking at Magic.

 

“If you want to pick one up, they won’t mind. As long as I am here, they are usually very calm.”

 

Stretch let out a small chuckle, and replied,

 

“Um.. I don’t know if you will believe this, but I’ve never really picked up an animal like this before. The only cat I’ve seen up close is Edge’s cat, and I’m not even sure that thing is a cat! It acts more like a demon! Could you help me out?”

 

“COULD YOU HELP ME TOO!? THIS COULD BE PART OF OUR FRIENDLY BONDING TIME! WE COULD EVEN WATCH THE TV!”

 

Blue pointed to the large tv behind him that sat on a brown tv stand. On the stand was an assortment of Items, including a remote, and not to far away was something I didn't notice before. There was a line of sticky notes that went down the wall, and below the sticky notes was a sock. I couldn't read what they said at this distance, but I guessed that someone was being incredibly lazy on picking up that sock, and that someone was badgering them on it.  _ I can't wait to read what those sticky notes say later! _

 

“Of course you can blue! You just have to be careful! And I guess we could take a short break, because we did get everything inside. After this I can get out the cats food bowl and food from the bag we brought in to feed my cats. What do you guys want to watch?”

I picked up mother kitty and held her in my arms, then with one arm I carefully scooted my other fluffy feline friends over so I could sit in the middle. I patted to were I was sitting before.

 

“You can sit right here Blue! Then once your situated, I can give you a fluffy kitty to snuggle with. Just be careful though, and let them decide how they would like to sit down. Cats can be very picky.”

 

“OKAY!”

 

Blue sat down, and got himself comfortable.

 

“I’ll get the remote.”

 

Stretch winked at me, then used his powers to glide the remote from off the tv stand, and into his outstretched hand.

 

“NO FAIR! HOW COME YOU GET TO SHOW OFF?”

 

“Blue, you did some amazing things to, like getting all of my stuff inside! Without your help, it would have taken us an eternity. Your super strength helped immensely!”

 

I jokingly added, more for Stretch’s sake than for his brother,

 

“After all, your so cool that your brother has to be allowed time to show off his coolness!”

 

Stars once again replaced his eye lights.

 

“YOU THINK SO?”

 

“Very much so! Now, would you like me to help you hold a cat?”

 

“YES!”

 

As I was about to hand him mother kitty, my hand brushed against his arm, making him jerk back. I jerked back a bit in response, and my poor kitty floof meowed in annoyance.

 

“Are you alright? You jumped like you got shocked or something. Did I accidentally touch you with static shock? I really sorr-”

 

“ITS OKAY! YOU WERE RIGHT! YOU ARE RIGHT! YOU JUST SHOCKED ME A BIT, THAT'S ALL…”

 

I looked back at Stretch, who was looking at his brother curiously. Blue chuckled nervously, with a bit of a blue blush, and quickly changed topics.  _ strange…. _

 

“SO… COULD YOU HELP ME AGAIN? I’M SORRY ABOUT MESSING UP LAST TIME! I’LL MAKE IT UP TO YOUR KITTY BY GIVING HER LOTS OF PETS!”

I smiled.

 

“Okay! Just be careful With her!”

 

I carefully set mother kitty on his lap. 

 

“Okay! So now you want to use your hands and gently pet her. I’ve found that she likes it if you pet her behind her fluffy ears. You may want to take your gloves off for this so you can feel how soft she is!”

 

“OKAY! I JUST DON’T KNOW IF IT WILL WORK, SKELETONS HAVE A HARDER TIME FEELING THINGS!”

 

Blue removed his gloves and set them on the arm of the chair. Then with shaky hands, he gently pet behind her ears. He was surprisingly delicate, and his facial expression had changed to a mixture and shock and pure joy. His blush returned to his face.

 

“SO SOFT AND FLUFFY…. yOU WERE RIGHT! THIS IS AMAZING! IT SEEMS THAT I HAVE BEEN MISSING OUT!”

 

Blue moved his hands away from mother kitty and turned his torso to hug me. My body tensed up and I could feel my face getting hot. I haven't had someone hug me in a long time, and I was not used to physical contact. In most cases were I was hugged, including the prince, I felt nervous and weird, and because of that my first reaction was to tense up. But for some reason, I felt much more safe and relaxed than when I was hugged someone else. I was still tensed, as I wasn't expecting getting hugged at this moment, but just like when Papyrus and Sans hugged me, I felt like I was protected. I relaxed a bit.

  
  


“WELL, YOU SEEM TO BE ENJOYING YOURSELVES!”

 

I jolted back to reality, blushing like I was caught doing something naughty. Blue quickly let go of me to face Edge and his nervous looking partner, Red.

 

“WHAT DO YOU WANT EDGE? YOU WEREN'T VERY NICE TO ROSE BEFORE!”

 

Blue and Edge started glaring at each other. _ I didn't want to cause this! I need to break this up! _

  
  


“Edge…… did you need something fr-from me? I can help you if you would li-like me to...”

 

I looked at Edge shyly, hoping that my measly plea would stop the arguing.  _  I didn't want these to fighting because of something I did!  _

 

Thankfully, Stretch was to the rescue.

 

“What did you need Edge? You are making her uncomfortable. And Blue, didn’t I say no fighting in the house?”

 

BU-BUT! HE STARTED IT! I WAS JUST STANDING UP FOR ROSE!”

  
  


“I get it, but at the  _ very least _ , take it outside! You two need to act more like proper gentleman! There's a lady right here, and you can see how nervous she is!”

 

Stretch’s joking tone was light-hearted, and I could see that the first part was a joke, but when I looked at Blue and Edge, It looked like they were about to take it literally. I was about to try and stop them but Red beat me to it.

 

“Wasn't this the thing we agreed you would not do boss?”

 

Edge seemed to snap back to reality, and he quit his star down with Blue. He looked at Red. 

 

“YOU DIDN'T HAVE TO REMIND ME BROTHER! I WAS GOING TO GET TO IT EVENTUALLY!”

 

His booming voice was a bit scary, especially because it was much more crakily than Blue’s or Papyrus', and it was definitely going to take time to get used to.

  
  


“I WAS GOING DOWN HERE TO USE THE KITCHEN TO COOK, SO I DECIDED TO…”

 

Red coughed, 

 

“What  _ exactly _ were you going down here to do boss?”

 

Edge sighed, and made an annoyed look, but he continued.

 

“I  _ ALSO  _ CAME DOWN HERE TO-”

 

He let out a sort of cough, as if he was having trouble trying to say something. I looked at him curiously, and at this point Magic had gotten on my lap and had fallen asleep, so I pet him while I waited for whatever Edge needed, hoping and praying he wouldn't find me petting my cat as me not paying attention to him. I just had a hard time not petting a cat when it is in reach, and as a fellow cat owner, I silently hoped Edge would understand.

 

“I ALSO CAME DOWN HERE…... TO... APOLOGIZE!”

 

I rose an eyebrow.  _  As much as I want to think the best of people, I don’t think he did this alone…. I hope Sans didn't tell him to apologize! I told him not to. He had a worthy reason after all. _

 

_ “Did sans tell you to apolligize? I told him not to!” _

 

“WHA-NO! WHY WOULD I LISTEN TO HIM? AND BESIDES, IT WASN'T LIKE I ONLY CAME DOWN HERE TO DO THAT! MY BROTHER  _ BEGGED _ ME TO APOLOGIZE TO YOU!”

 

I looked at Red. His face was turning red as a cherry, and it looked like it wasn't only from embarrassment.  He looked like he was about to lose his mind.

 

“I did not  _ beg  _ you, I  _ asked _ you asshole! You didn't even make it a day before being an ‘ _ edgy _ liptard!’”

 

He made question marks with his skeletal fingers, and his voice where he added emphasis was in a mocking tone.

 

“WHAT DID YOU JUST  _ SAY _ ?! HOW DARE YOU MOCK ME IN SUCH A WAY!”

 

At this point the two had gotten into a shouting match, and I didn't know what to do. I wanted to hide  _ so _ badly! I started to shake.

 

“ROSE, WHAT'S WRONG? ARE YOU ALRIGHT? DO YOU NEED TO GO SOMEWHERE?”

 

I shook my head weakly. It had been a hectic enough day already, and the last thing I wanted was to break down in front of all of my new housemates. Red told something to Edge that I couldn't hear, then stormed off to what I assumed was his room, and shut the door with a thud. Edge just stood there, like he was trying to process something. He sighed, then turned to us.

 

“I’M GOING TO THE KITCHEN.”

 

“Just leave us be Edge. And next time you try and talk to Rose ...” Stretch gave Edge a dark look, then continued, “you’d better be nice. Or else we might just have to go outside...” His normal cherry attitude returned. “Got it?”

 

It was Edge’s turn to glare. He growled, but didn't say a word as he went toward the kitchen.

 

“Sorry Rose, I know you said you didn't want us telling him off, but I couldn't help it.”

 

I sighed, letting my body relax, and I went back to softly petting Magic.

 

“I AGREE! HE IS BEING NEEDLESSLY PETTY!”

 

I smiled softly.

 

“You don’t have to worry about me, you two. This fighting will all calm down with time. You don’t need to worsen your relationship with Edge for my sake, and you sure as heck shouldn't go outside and start fighting each other! So, as sweet as it is for you two to try and help me, I am going to ask that you don’t when it comes to Edge, alright? If he starts beating me up or something, sure, but If he is just yelling loudly, I'll live. It seems like I live with rowdy skeletons anyways, so I might as well get used to it as quickly as possible!”

 

Stretch sighed.

 

“Alright. I won’t interfere. But I’m only doing what you ask because I trust you on this. Don’t just let him say whatever he wants to you, Okay?”

  
  


“Alright.”

 

“OH YEAH! I TOTALLY FORGOT! I NEED TO MAKE FRIENDSHIP TACOS! I WAS GOING TO MAKE SOME TO WELCOME THE NEW HOUSEMATE, BUT TOTALLY FORGOT!”

 

Stretch looked at his brother. 

 

“Are… you sure about that? Can’t you wait until tomorrow?  Papyrus said he was cooking for her…. And we don’t exactly want to um…. Overstuff her?”

 

I smiled, thankful for the fact that these two cared so much, even if I didn't ask.

 

“I’m sure I will be alright! Just make sure to make the portions a bit small.”

 

Stretch nervously chuckled. 

 

“Heh….. um, do you want me to help you bro?”

 

“NAH! I’M GOOD! IT’S NICE OF YOU TO BE WILLING TO HELP, ESPECIALLY SENSE YOU ARE OFTEN LAZY, BUT I THINK I SHOULD BE GOOD! JUST CHILL OUT AND STAY WITH ROSE! WE SAID WE WERE GOING TO WATCH TV WITH HER ANYWAY, AND ALTHOUGH THE AMAZING BLUE WON’T BE WATCHING TO, WE CAN’T JUST LEAVE HER ALONE!”

 

“Okay…. Just be careful, alright?”

 

“GOSH PAPY! I’LL BE FINE!”

 

_ Papy? _ Maybe it was nothing, but that sounds a lot like…. I subconsciously shook my head, only relaxing it a second later. 

 

“You okay there honey?” 

 

Stretch was looking at me with concern. I didn't want to sound like a nutcase, so I didn't ask about what his brother had said.  _ It felt so strange… _

I decided to try and change topics.

 

“I’m fine, just felt a little weird. I’m good now! How about we watch some t.v?”

 

                  ____________________________

 

I didn't even notice how quickly time passed. By the end of the show we were watching, Papyrus and Blue were calling for everyone to come to the dinner table. I saw Red open his door with a huff, but I thought I noticed his smile widen a bit when he saw me. 

 

“Ho-how are you feeling?” I asked with a shaky voice.

 

“Much better now that I was able to stay away from my brother for a bit. He gets on my nerves sometimes, that's all. How about you? are You liking the hospitality?”

 

I smiled, and stood up from the couch, and headed toward the table area.

 

“I haven't had anybody be this nice to me in many years. It is really a pleasant surprise. You guys are really making me feel at home, and I thank you for that.”

 

“It’s nice to hear your enjoying our company.”

 

Stretch chuckled, then added,

 

“Most people would be  _ chilled to the bone  _ if they saw a skeleton.”

 

I tried to stifle my giggles behind my hand.

“Stretch, that was  _ awful _ !”

 

Red piped in, 

 

“I had skeleton pun in mind as well, but I didn't have the  _ guts _ for it. After all, I don't want you to get so angry you  _ rattle my bones _ !”

 

I couldn't help it. Silly puns are my mortal weakness. I laughed so hard a tears fell out of my eyes, and I tried so,  _ so _ hard to find the heart to scold them, but much more fun to go along with it.

 

“Oh my goodness! How many of you guys like puns? First Sans, then you guys to? Do you guys talk the tongue of  _ puns _ , or something?

 

I was about to continue when I caught a whiff of something dreadful.

 

“Guys….. What is that?”

 

“DINNER TIME!”

 

_ Oh dear….. _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> my schedule is opening up more now, so I should be able to post more often, and on time. This chapter is a bit larger to try and make up for it being a little late, and I hope you enjoy it! 
> 
> Rose-I feel like the greater machinations of the universe are trying to say.... my stomachs about to have a bad time.  
> PAPYRUS THE GREAT AND MAGNIFICENT!!-My friendship spaghet..... will be amazing!  
> Sans-Oh god.... Lets hope Papyrus doesn't kill Rose with his spaghetti...  
> BLUE!-Lets make Rose some amazing Tacos! then later I can ask Papy.... No. I'll have to keep it to myself.  
> Stretch-My brother is hiding something. And Those tacos might just kill someone..... oh dear.  
> EDGE THE EDGY EDGE LORD!-why couldn't the new housemate just be another skeleton.... I'm regretting my life decisions... at least if it was another skeleton I wouldn't have to deal with this nonsense... I might as well make some lasagna. Say, Papyrus said he was making some spaghetti for the human right? well, If i do that, I could get off the hook, and look cool and charitable at the same time. Might as well.  
> Red- This is interesting. A girl who is shy and likes puns? where the flip did Sans and Papyrus even find her? looks like something to investigate.


	7. scary food and even more scary dreams

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Rose gets to see some rather scary looking food, then when she falls asleep, she has strange dreams...

I looked at the food that sat before me with a mixture of awe and disbelief. The food was….. _interesting_ , to say the least. _The smell….. Oh god_ the smell! The smells of the three different dishes were converging together to hit my nostrils with a mixture of overcooked and burnt meat that somehow also smelled raw, as well as the nauseating smell of vinegar. There were other weird smells that I couldn't put my finger on as well. I also noticed that blues tacos were filled to the brim with blue glitter. _Is that the edible stuff? And_ _What in god's name did they do to create such a pungent odor?_ I looked up at the smiling Papyrus and Blue, as well as the annoyed Edge.

 

“HOW DOES IT LOOK?!” Papyrus asked with a giddy grin.

 

“I CAN’T WAIT TO SEE HOW YOU LIKE THE TASTE! I WORKED EXTRA HARD ON THIS!”

 

Blue had stars in his eyes, and he looked like his grin couldn't get any bigger. How could I tell either of them that their food may not be fit for consumption? I imagined them both looking at me with hurt and sadness in their eyes, and the Thought made me squirm with discomfort. These guys definitely need training, so maybe I could suggest it to them later? They look so proud and enthusiastic about cooking, and it seems that even Edge enjoys cooking in some form as well, so If I can help them, it could become a bonding moment, as well as a way for them to grow better at cooking! I looked at them nervously. I should wait though… I don’t know them enough to boss them around… I wouldn't want to do that…

I looked at them and gave a nervous smile, and I could already feel myself sweating… I’m not a very good liar… lets hope it sounds genuine! Or maybe I could just skirt around the question?  _ Oh dear...how did I get myself into this.? _

 

“It-it definitely looks and smells unique! I can feel my mouth watering al-already h-hah…..hah...”

 

“THAT'S GREAT TO HEAR! LET'S EAT!”

 

They both sat on each end of me, with Papyrus to the left, and Blue to the right. On the other side of the table sat Sans, Stretch, Red, and of course, Edge. There were other empty seats, as the table was actually quite large. 

I carefully took a small portion of Papyrus’s spaghetti and Blue’s tacos. I saw Edge’s face turn to a frown out of the corner of my eye.

 

“WHAT ABOUT MY LASAGNA!?”

 

“Oh… I'm sorry, I thought you made that for yourself and Red…. I’ll try some if you would like me too…..”

 

“SURE! WHATEVER… DO WHAT YOU LIKE! THINK OF IT AS PART OF MY APOLOGY! YOU'RE ACTUALLY LUCKY I’M LETTING YOU TRY SOME! I’VE NEVER LET THE OTHERS TASTE IT!”

 

“No, we just don’t touch it because we don’t want to die of vinegar poisoning. Seriously though, How much do you even need to put in there? Every time you make some, the vinegar bottles go missing!”

 

Stretch looked at Edge questioningly.

 

“I JUST LIKE MY LASAGNA TO TASTE A BIT SOUR, ALRIGHT!? BESIDES, IT’S NOT LIKE YOU’VE EVER ACTUALLY TRIED IT, SO HOW WOULD YOU KNOW WHAT IT TASTES LIKE?! JUST ASK RED, HE CAN TELL YOU IT IS THE BEST! RIGHT RED?”

 

Red didn't even look up from his plate.

 

“Yup… it's the best in the whole wide world…” he looked up from his empty plate to look at Stretch jokingly,”  you are  _ really  _ missing out ashtray!”

 

Edge scowled, but then his expression changed to that of a sly smirk.

 

“YOU REALLY THINK SO HUH?” He grabbed his plate of lasagna and took off an absurdly large chunk, setting it on his brother's plate, then continued. “THEN YOU SHOULDN'T HAVE ANY TROUBLE CLEARING YOUR PLATE!”

 

Reds expression changed from a joking one to a look of absolute horror, while Stretch laughed, patting Red’s back.

 

“Hah hah!... oh...Good luck eating your  _ miracle food _ buddy”

 

His laughing tone changed however, when Blue took a glitter filled taco from the taco tray and set it on Stretch’s plate.

 

“THIS SOUNDS LIKE A GREAT IDEA! IT’S BEEN AWHILE SINCE YOU’VE ACTUALLY EATEN MY TACOS! YOU CAN TELL ME HOW THEY TASTE!” 

 

Now the tides have turned a bit. Red laughed at Stretch, while Stretch looked at his plate worryingly.

 

“Uh… bro, was this the edible glitter?  I thought We haven’t stocked up on that yet……”

 

Blue nervously chuckled.

 

“I’M PRETTY SURE I USED THE RIGHT STUFF! I THINK… UM..MWEH .... ”

 

I almost spat out the taco bit I had in my mouth. It tasted awful, but if it had been safe to eat, I would have stomached it. This reminded me; didn't Sans and Papyrus say I was supposed to act like a maid? Have they even told the others yet? I discreetly got rid of what little taco bits I had had in my mouth by splitting it into a napkin, then started talking.

 

“How about I make the meals for now? I don’t know if Sans or Papyrus told you this yet Blue, but I’m going to become a maid of sorts, and I really enjoy cooking! I could even help you two by supervising over meals we make together!”

 

Red looked at me quizprobably

 

“Why are you going to act as a maid?”

 

I blushed a bit.

 

“I...umm-”

 

“It’s because she can’t pay us rent. She got kicked out of her job because of us.”

 

“SO BASICALLY SHE'S A FREE-LOADER!?

 

San’s eye lights vanished. He looked over to Edge.

 

“And you aren't?”

 

Edge growled quietly, but chose not to reply.

San’s eye lights returned, but his smile was still tight.

 

“I will work out with her what she will do later, but if she choses too, she won’t be obligated to help you with outrageous tasks. If I hear from her that you demanded that she cleans your rooms, or that she was told that she must do whatever you ask of her, I will  _ not  _ be happy. Of course, if you ask, and she accepts, that's fine. You must treat her as an equal. And if you don’t… well, there will be...  _ punishments _ .” 

 

His eye lights disappeared when he spoke the last word, and I could feel a sort of chill envelop the room.

 

There was a sort of awkward silence for a short while, Then Edge sat up from the table, breaking the quiet tension.

 

“I’M GOING TO MY ROOM.”

 

He did just that. He walked up to his room and slammed the door shut, leaving the rest of us to mull over what happened.

 

Blue was the first to speak, and his voice was nervous and scared, almost like a child that was sad that his friend might be moving away.

 

“W-we...WILL BE ABLE TO HELP ROSE WITH HER CHORES IF WE WANT TO...RIGHT?”

 

Sans sighed, and looked at Blue with a relieved smile, probably happy that Blue asked such a pleasant question compared to what Edge had said.

 

“Yes Blue, as long as Rose is alright with it. I’m assuming that my brother will want to help as well, am I right?” he said, directing his question at Papyrus.

 

“OFF COURSE BROTHER!”

 

“THANK YOU SO MUCH! THIS IS GOING TO BE SO MUCH FUN, RIGHT ROSE?!”

 

Blue gave me an excited hug. I blushed red as a ripe tomato, but thankfully, I didn't shrink back very much this time.  _ Progress!  _ I smiled and replied,

 

That would be nice…” I felt my eyes well up with tears.

 

Blue let go of me, his face full of concern. I could see that Papyrus, Sans and Stretch were as well. Red’s face was a sort of mixture of concern and bewilderment. 

 

“ROSE, WHAT'S WRONG? ARE YOU OKAY? DID I HURT YOU?!”

 

“No...not at all! I’m just…. I'm so happy!”

 

I smiled and wiped the tears out of my eyes.

 

“It’s been so long since I’ve been welcomed like this… I have been so alone for so long that...I..Thank you! All of you…. you don’t know how much this all means to me…”

 

“Honestly sweetheart, have you ever heard that you thank people too much?”

 

I looked at Red, who had a lazy smile on his face. I smiled even wider, tears still streaming out of my eyes, and snot stuffing my nose.

 

“I get it all the time! But I don’t care. I will thank you all as many times as I can, even when it gets mildly annoying, just because it's all I can do. I can’t give you something with monetary value, like money or anything else. The only thing I can give you is my thanks, my time, and my company, so I will do it as much as I can!”

 

Red chuckled.

 

“Well, that's good to know. You really are an interesting character, aren't you?”

 

I was now blushing and smiling, on top of the tears and stuffy nose.

 

“Oh I’m not that special!”

 

Now it was Stretch’s turn to have a laugh.

 

“Well, anyone who can deal with Edges shenanigans without flipping out is special in my opinion.”

 

Blue chimed in energetically.

 

“YEAH! GIVE YOURSELF SOME MORE CREDIT!”

 

I felt as if I was going into emotional overload. It was just too much. Piled on top of all of the things that had happened today, me meeting these skeletons was way more than my fragile and unprepared emotional state was prepared for, and not in a bad way. I was so used to having mundane and overall sucky days, so this day was causing my mind and heart to go into overdrive! I needed to rest before my head exploded. 

 

“Sans, where is my room?”

 

“I’m guessing you would like to call it a day?” Sans asked.

 

I yawned, and replied,

 

“Yup, I’m exhausted! This day was too much for me! I’ve got to go to bed before I become too wired to sleep!”

 

“I’ll take you to it. It’s normally the guest room, so it’s got a bed and everything in it, but I have a feeling that you will like it enough for you to want it to be your room.”

 

“I can’t wait. Let me get the dishes put away, and clean the table.”

 

“Don’t worry about it. I’ll have Papyrus clean up the table for you. You’ve done more than enough for your first day!”

I got up from my chair.

 

“Goodnight you guys, and thank you for everything!”

 

“GOODNIGHT ROSE! I CAN’T WAIT TO HANG OUT WITH YOU TOMORROW!”

 

“Goodnight honey, I hope you have  _ sweet _ dreams”

 

I went over to where I had set my cat’s food bowls, and checked to see if they were empty. They were, which was good. I realized that my cats could probably be in my room now, which was something I thought was really cool. Originally, If I wanted to be near them, I had to sleep on the couch, which was kind of annoying, as my room was messy, and I had no way to make sure the tiny kittens didn't get lost. Now that they were bigger, I could allow them to roam about my room!

 

I clicked my tongue to get the attention of my kitties, and had them follow me up the stairs with Sans. Sans looked back at the cats with a mixture of humor and curiosity. 

 

“It’s pretty amazing that you got your cats to listen to you like that, Rose. I’m fairly certain that most cats don’t listen to their owners like this.”

 

Magic trotted up to me and rubbed against my pant covered legs, careful not to trip me. I stopped and pet first his ears, then worked down the belly until I picked him up. At this point he was purring contently in my arms. 

 

“Well, this may sound silly… but I-i think they can feel how much I love them, and because o-of that, they trust me.”

 

I shyly replied to Sans.

Sans chuckled As we continued up the steps.

 

“I don’t think that is silly at all. You may actually be right on that Idea, and I wouldn't be surprised if your cats are picking up on your pleasant and kind nature. Cats, Dogs, and other animals that have a level of sentience like horses have been known to be able to pick up not only emotions, but  _ magic _ as well. Maybe they sense something like that in you?”

 

I stopped, and started to tremble very slightly. and With a shocked look on my face, I replied.

 

“There's no way. Magic hasn’t been present in people for many, many years! It’s ridiculous to think that  _ me _ , of all people, would have any form of magic. If I had magic, why didn't it appear when I needed it?”

 

“It was just a thought. I’m sorry if I angered you, Rose.”

 

“N-no! Not at all! I-I just thought the idea was silly, that's all. You didn't anger me.”

 

_ You don't anger me Sans….the possibility, no matter how small it is, that I had magic this entire time…. And it didn't appear when I needed it the most… that was what made me feel anger, even if it was deep down and was only for a fleeting moment. _

 

“Well, we are almost there!”

 

Sans was obviously trying to ease the tension, and I silently thanked him for it.

 

“I can’t wait to see what it looks like! You really got my hopes up, but honestly, anything will do better than my tiny apartment, so don't worry about impressing me.”

 

We continued to the left and up to a winding staircase that lead to the third floor. The entrance was not another hallway, but a door.

 

“I have a feeling that you will like this room quite a bit, especially if you like plants. I can’t wait to see the look on your face. I kind of wish I had a camera right now.”

 

With that, Sans opened the door and stepped inside.

 

I stepped inside with awe and basked in my surroundings.

 

This room was almost in a V shape, with the base of the V being the entrance we just came from. The first feature I saw was the natural sunlight that filtered from a sunroof on the left side of the room. It was becoming sunset however, and it was already starting to darken a bit. Also on this side was a sofa and a place I could probably hook up my PC and console setup, but even better was something that I somehow didn't notice when I was on the outside.  There was a glass sliding door that led to a reasonably sized balcony. There were two comfy chairs sitting on the balcony, but other than that, It had loads of space that could be used for a variety of purposes. I could tell that the balcony looked over the flower field. I had to fight the giddy urge to run over to it, and I wasn't even done looking at all of the room. On the right side was a small curtain set up that had been drawn on each side to allow the bedroomesque area behind it to be in full view. This area had a closet and dresser, as well as a desk next to a window that looked over the open yard. I could faintly see that there were two trees reasonably close together.  _ That would be a great place for a hammock!  _ Then, the last feature I could see was a door in between the entrance and bed area.  _ This room is... _

 

“Amazing…”

 

Sans looked at my face and smirked.

 

“I thought so. Your face is priceless! I don’t even have to guess to know that you like it.”

 

“It looks so… luxurious! Like something that would be in the…”

 

I caught myself about to say the castle. For some reason, it just didn't seem right to mention that place here.

 

“Are you sure that no one else wants this room?”

 

“You are really worried about something like that again? Trust me, it's fine. Besides, part of the reason I wanted to give you this room is because it has its own bathroom, so you won’t have to deal with the mess that's down stairs. For  _ some _ reason, Edge thinks it’s a good Idea to try and flush junk down the toilet.”

 

I giggled, and asked jokingly,

 

“Oh come on, it can’t be  _ that _ bad, right? What does he do, flush cotton swabs?”

 

Sans groaned.

 

“Well,  _ apparently _ , he said that while he was ‘standing there in the shower, his soap somehow slipped out of his hands and fell into the toilet.’ Of course, the only problem was, some of the other  _ tenants _ , who asked to remain anonymous for fear of their safety said ‘they heard Edge loudly singing in the shower when he let out a rather girly screech, and a crashing sound was heard coming from within the bathroom.’ of course, the only person who actually saw what happened was Edge himself, so his alibi was the only one to go upon. We did however, find a crushed bug that was stuck to the wall of the shower, so who knows?”

 

I started to giggle more.

“That's hilarious! Although I can’t blame him for being frightened of a bug, especially in the shower! Maybe it snuck up on him? And  _ him _ , of all people singing in the shower? What was he singing?”

 

Sans made a face like someone who was about to tell some juicy gossip.

 

“Well as long as you promise not to tell Edge, Stretch said he heard him singing something from one of mettaton's shows, although his rendition was of course, Edgier.”

 

“Well, at least know another one of his hobbies! Although, I have a feeling he meant to not sing loud enough for everyone to hear ....”

 

“Well, I will leave you to your room for now, and don’t feel uncomfortable with locking your door. If you want to, you can make it so no one ever enters this room, although I have a sinking suspicion that you will probably want Papy and Blue over all the time… Just don’t feel uncomfortable having this place to yourself sometimes alright?”

 

I smiled at Sans.

 

“I don’t think I will worry about it too much, but thank you for thinking about me! I’m already really enjoying their company, and I almost wish that I had the energy to be hanging out with them still.”

 

“Well… I’ll leave you to it then…”

 

Before Sans was about to leave, I quickly set Magic down and caught his shoulder. I let go, Sans turned to face me, surprised. 

 

“Wait! I forgot to say goodnight to you too! After all, it isn’t fair that I didn't personally thank the guy who helped me even get here in the first place!”

 

Then, without thinking, I did something I would have had a hard time doing even just this morning. I reached out, and hugged him by my own volition. With the other times, I was hugged by Sans and Papyrus, as well as Blue. I did not start the hug, but even still it was an important step of progress. He shakily hugged me back.

 

“Thank you so much…. For all of this. You two coming into my store is the best thing that has ever happened to me. I don’t think I will ever be able to tell you all how grateful I am for this.. I… I was almost at my limit.. And I think… if You two weren't there to be my shining beacons of light that you are… I think my heart would have broken from all of this...this suffering. Thank you.”

 

I was on the verge of crying again, when Sans softly replied.

 

“It genuinely makes me happy to know that you think of us this way… If you need  _ anything _ -anything at all, ask me or Papyrus, or the others and they will help you. And as much as I keep hounding Edge, he is genuinely good on the inside, and I have a feeling that you will help him far more than I have ever been able to do by scolding him. If someone were to hurt you in front of him, or if he hears of someone hurting you, I have a feeling that that person would not be having the best of times when he gets his hands on them.”

 

I let go of him, and softly murmured, “Goodnight Sans.”

 

Sans turned to start walking to the door, but when he was at the exit, he turned back to me and replied.

 

“Goodnight sweetheart,”

 

When he left the doorway, he closed the door behind him.

 

I was now stuck in my new room, all alone. For some reason, I wished that the skeletons were there with me. Blue’s And Papyrus’s loud but sweet voices; Stretch, Red, and Sans with their laidback nature and silly puns; and even Edge, because even though he doesn't seem to like me much, it would be better than being alone here to my thoughts. I sighed, and decided to open the door that lead to the bathroom. Although all of my clothes, soaps and brush were in the bags, I still wanted to take a nice hot shower to ease my nerves. It was getting a bit sweaty having to wear my sweatshirt and pants all day, but It was really something I was going to have to deal with. I went back to the front door and locked it, just because I wanted to allow my cats to go in and out of the bathroom so I was going to be keeping the bathroom door open. I entered the room and moved my hand along the side of the wall until I found the switch, and then entered. I was almost afraid it would be so outrageously fancy that I would have needed help from one of the skeletons to figure it out, but thankfully, the room was simple enough, having a medication cabinet behind the mirror, a toilet, and shower bathtub combo that could probably fit me if I were to try and take a bath pretty easily. I stripped down and took my hair out of it’s messy ponytail., and looked at myself in the mirror. My hair was all frizzy and tangled, and was probably going to take a while to fix, but I was going to braid it after my shower so I wouldn't get any worse.  _ Of course, I was focusing on my hair so I wouldn't have to look down and see the scars, wasn't I?  _ I decided to stop looking at the mirror. I got into the shower and turned the water on. I slowly and carefully turned up the heat, as burning my toes was not really something I had on my to-do list for today, or any day, for that matter. Once I found a nice hot temperature, I pulled up the thing that allowed the water to change to the shower head. I stood there for some time having water fall down upon me, and I thought about all of the things that happened today: Meeting Sans and Papyrus; losing my job and having to move out of my apartment; escaping from Jack and his goons; looking upon this amazing place for the first time, meeting everyone…. What if I had taken a day off from work today? Would I have been stuck in the endless loop that I had been in for a while, slowly breaking until I couldn't take it? Maybe fate does exist, and it has decided to take the olive branch that I had always held out for it. Was some higher being listening to my pleas for help, deciding to send me a means of escape in the form of these wonderful skeletons? Whatever it was, it seems likely that I will never know, and that I was probably thinking too much. I stood there without thinking for some time, just allowing the nice, hot water to relax my tired body. After a little while, I turned off the water and grabbed one of the towels that were hanging up, dried off, and put back on my clothes. It’s not like they were super dirty anyway, as I had taken a shower in the morning and then put them on, but when I woke up I would get some of my clothes and take another shower. I turned off the bathroom light, then headed to the nice bed that I had been provided. It already had a sheet and comforter on it, so I just slipped under all the blankets.  My cats hopped up onto the bed and found comfortable positions to sit. It was nice that I could finally have my cats sleep with me, as their long soft fur was super warm, and having them with me was very comforting. It didn't matter to me that they shed like crazy, as I didn't really care all that much, and having them with me was well worth the small downside. I slowly felt myself drift off as i cuddled with Magic, who had decided to move to rest between my arms.

 

_____________________________

  
  


My brain felt like it was in a fog. It felt like I was falling away from my life, my friends, the light that is the world, and entering a new one. For a split second, I saw through someone else's eyes. They to, were falling, but they were falling from somewhere else. I could feel the heat scorching on my skin, but did not cry out, instead accepting my fate. And just like that, I was back in my own thoughts. As I slowly plunged into the darkness, The last light source was a faint but pleasant glow that emanated from me. The colors were beautiful, and I thought I saw petals of many different colors as well.  I embraced the feeling, As me practically falling into my dreams was a common occurrence, and I had grown used to slowly falling down, leaving a trail of light that slowly faded. I closed my eyes, and when I opened them again, I was at the door. It was the only thing with real color, and instead of being pure black, it was a dull grey.

I stared at it blankly, unable to move. I watched as the door knob turned, slowly opening the door. I knew what would come next. I tried and was successful in turning and looking behind me, to see if anything, anything at all could help me stop myself from entering this door.  But alas, as it was every time I looked back, There was nothing but the black abyss that always greeted me. I knew in my heart that I was not alone, that there was someone else here, How I knew this i did not know, which made me angry, but I knew this person was too used to being alone to even think that the Idea of my existence. I sighed sadly, knowing that It wasn't really their fault, and looked back to the now open door. I was dragged forward. Although I knew that struggling was futile, I would always try. This time, as usual, It failed, and I was slowly sucked forward, until, at last, I was past the door, and It shut behind me, quietly creaking as it did.

After a short but straight hallway, there was the room I had grown so accustomed to. I shuddered, and had my most comprehensible thought I’ve had in my dreams for quite some time. _I had grown accustomed to it, but_ _not in a good way._ Of course, it barely made sense, but to my dreaming brain, it felt like sarcastic comedy gold.

I was forcibly made to walk forward in the hallway, slowly but surely marching my way to this terrifying room that has been haunting my nightmares sense 'the  _ incident’.   _ It was truly awful that I described that this way, But It was the only way to convey the sadness I felt, Even though the only person I was conveying it to is myself. I finally reached the room. Sometimes, this room would be just nothing; like the darkness outside. Sometimes it would be a room where I’d watch people I care about getting hurt over and over. But today, It decided to terrorise me in a different way. This form of torture was one of the worst. The room had morphed itself into a sort of theater. The room was more like a glass box than a room, and you could see from many angles. A little farther ahead of me was the projectionist's booth, where thankfully, nothing was being displayed yet. To the sides of the glass box  were many seats going all the way down in rows, Stopping once they reached the room. Someone could technically sit right up to the glass and be at around the same height as me. Up front, was of course, the massive movie theater screen which would play my memories or flashbacks on loop, over and over again, in excruciating detail. In the front of the glass booth was one seat that I was forced to walk over to. I knew this seat quite well, and I tried to fight myself as I slowly sat down, and faced forward. I tried to scream, to kick, to even just turn my head, but now, It was over. My eyes were glued to the white screen. No memories were playing yet.  _ Maybe…. Sense something good happened today…. A good memory would be selected? Or maybe I would be recapping the events of today? _

I watched in the corner of my eye as the projector wired to life, then I went back to facing the screen. At first, I couldn't quite remember what memory this was, but slowly, pieces and fragments came back to me. I had repressed this memory long ago, as It was the day I considered to be the worst of my life. I felt my eyes zoom in, until I was back into the memory.  

 I was in a hospital bed, hanging on to life by a thread. I had had more blood pouring out of me than I even knew I had, and knife marks scoured my entire body. Some were small, while others were deep gashes that left horrendous scars.  But the worst torture was yet to come. Even though I was barely alive and was in more pain that I ever imagined possible, something hit me harder. A police officer came in, and solemnly told me that my father was shot and killed on our front porch, but the body seemed to have been dragged off. I did not know what to say.  So, instead, I sat there, and waited for the police officer to leave. When he was gone, my emotions slowly dripped out of me in the form of tears. My heart hurt worse than any of my injuries, I was surprised I didn't die because of it. I fell into a fitful sleep. My dream had been strange. I heard a woman's voice, and I slowly opened my eyes, my ears perking up. She sounded so familiar. I heard her quietly mumbling under her breath. She sounded so sad.

 

“This is all my fault. If I had been there, maybe my little girl wouldn't be like this…..” 

 

I looked around the dark hospital room, the only lights being that of my hospital bed and the things I was hooked up to.  I saw someone In a black cloak, and I squinted hard to try and see any features. In the dark, all I could see was one thing. Bright, scarlet red eyes. Even though that was the only thing I could see, I could see how sad and defeated she was from those eyes.  She didn't seem to notice that I was awake, and I pondered on how she even got in. The door to get in was closed, and it was likely that the windows were locked. Though, I was honestly to delirius and depressed to care. _ I felt so dead, maybe she was the reaper? The cloak matches at least. _ She continued to quietly speak to herself, and It didn't seem that she knew that I could hear her.

 

“I’m sorry Asgore, I know you wanted me to put them to rest but…. I know you would understand. She is my child, after all. You would have done anything to save them, so I will do the same. She needs their powers, and if she doesn't absorb them, she will die. Her soul has gone through too much.  She will never have the chance to save them if I don't do this….. It’s the least I can do. I know that someday she will set them free, just like how she will for you, and the ones you love; monster kind.

 

She finally looked at me, but she still didn't seem to notice I was awake.

 

“Oh my sweet child, my ray of sunshine, why did this have to happen to you? You lift the spirits of everyone around you, and yet….. I always feel so sad when I see you. You remind me of him……….”

 

She paused, Her eyes were still on me, but her eyes were distant, as if thinking of a far off memory.  She seemed to focus once more, and she continued to speak.  _ I must be dreaming……. _

 

 “Why do people always hurt and take advantage of those who are kind? I guess it is in our nature. But not you, my sweet dear,”

 

Her eyes softened, and even though I didn't see her mouth, I know she smiled.  She was so familiar, like a foggy memory that was just under the surface, just waiting to be revealed.

 

“When I do this, these poor souls will be transferred once again. I hope that they will finally be able to rest with you, my dear.  I’m not going to be able to do anything for a long time. Someday, you will be happy again. Before that though, you will meet someone who will seem kind, but turn on you. He will find you soon.   Continue to make people happy, my little Rose bud,”

 

My eyes widened, reminding me of a distant memory… 

 

she cupped her hands together, creating a bowl shape with them.  I was starting to feel faint. I knew that I was dying. My heart hurt. Why is she here? It's all just a dream. She's gone, She left.

 

“I hope they meld well with the others……”

 

Suddenly, a red heart shaped object appeared in between her hands, the cloak obscuring everything below the wrists. It was the same color as her eyes, but there was something more. Some of the red was a mixture of duller colors like grey,  as if the life inside part of the heart itself had faded. In the middle of the heart was a circle made up of many colors. There were about eight different colors swirling around, and they seemed to glow. She put the heart into one hand, and in the other, a small red knife appeared. I watched cautiously, unable to speak, as she brought the red knife close to the middle of the heart.  _ My vision was fading……it's all a dream… wake up!.... _

She started to slowly and carefully cut around the circle of many colors,  until it was completely cut out. The glowing red knife disappeared, leaving nothing but a light red glow that quickly faded. The heart also quickly disappeared, and It seemed to have left a black substance on her fingers. With her hands now empty, she grabbed the colored chunk and examined it. Now that it was out of the heart, It seemed to expand, the colors swirling.

My vision faded just in time to see something colorful being pulled out of my chest, and to see her softly grabbing it. I blacked out.

 

I was thrust out of the memory with such force that it caused my dream body to grip the sides of my chair. The room started to collapse, as pieces seemed to fall apart, transforming into a black substance that seemed to make up many of the things in this reality.   _ This has never happened before… what's going on? _

 

Suddenly, I felt myself being thrust into an area I’ve never seen before. I closed my eyes, then opened them and found myself floating in what looked to be a house. At first, I thought that I couldn't move, but when I tried to move my hands, I found that I could. I brought my left one up so I could examine it. I found that my hand was semi-transparent, and that I could faintly see whatever was behind it. I was almost like a ghost. I looked around the house a bit to find that it looked quite a bit like the one that I was now living in, except it was much smaller, and it seemed to be falling apart. Water dripped from the ceiling, and cobwebs seemed to coat almost every surface. I looked around, and saw that there were signs of damage almost everywhere. I realized, even through the dark, that I was near the top, and reached one of my hands out to touch the ceiling. I was surprised to find that my hand simply fazed through the ceiling, although it made sense. If I was dreaming, why would I be able to touch solid objects? Although, that begged the question, where am I? I was certain that I had never been here before, and It was much too detailed to be something my brain created. A loud noise startled me, and caused me to look down. I saw two figures come from what I assumed was the kitchen, as I could smell something heavenly coming from inside. That room seemed to be lit by nothing but a candle. One of the figures was much, much taller than the other.  For some reason, I could not see any features on them. Even though it was dark, I should have been able to see something, but I couldn't. The only thing I could see was a faint glow coming from around where each of their chests would be. Both auras were mainly light gray on the outside, with the taller figure having mainly greens reds and oranges, as well as hints of other colors that seemed to twist and and move, occasionally fading in and out of visibility. The other shorter had the same light gray outline, but that was where they stopped having things in common. This one's aura was something more gruesome. This aura seemed cracked, and deep hues of a red-almost the color of blood-seemed to dominate over the other colors that emanated. How strange. Why was it that I could see my surroundings, but not these two people? I heard another noise, which was much louder than the first, and muffled yelling.

 

“DON’T WORRY! WE ARE COMING!”

 

The taller figure spoke, and he moved faster to open the door, but the shorter one moved to open it first. He opened the door, and I could now see outside. I moved a bit lower to get a better perspective, but I didn't dare get too close. I had a weird feeling that If one of them touched me, something would happen. I could see two more figures, with one being taller than the other,

Once again, and the other being shorter. They too, had auras with light gray outlines, with the shorter one having an aura that had mixtures of purples, blues, and reds, along with light traces of other colors, and the taller one having purples, yellows, and blues, although other colors were present. 

 

“What the hell do you and your dog want,  _ pip squeak?  _ Didn't I tell you to _ leave us alone _ unless we contact you? And its fuck’in  _ three  _ in the morning! What part about ‘leave us the fuck alone’ did you not understand?!”

 

“FIRST OFF, I AM NO  _ PIP SQUEAK _ ! NEXT, I HAVE SOMETHING THAT YOU MIGHT WANT TO HEAR.”

 

“What? Are you trying to sell us  _ girl  _ scout cookies?! We are not interested in anything you have to say, and that's final!”

 

The one who had opened the door looked like he was about to close it in his face, when his taller companion stopped him. 

 

“BROTHER, WE SHOULD BE POLITE TO OUR GUESTS. LET'S AT LEAST LISTEN TO WHAT THEY HAVE TO SAY, ESPECIALLY IF THEY SAY IT IS IMPORTANT. WHY ELSE WOULD THEY COME HERE?”

 

_ Was that… Papyrus?  _ The other two that had spoken had sounded somewhat like Sans and Edge respectively, with the one who was about to close the door sounding like Sans, and the one with the screeching voice sounding like Edge, although the more that I thought about it, the more that I noticed he sounded a bit like Blue as well. But neither of them sounded so closely to the one that they resembled like this taller skeleton did. If I had to guess by voice alone, I could not have guessed that they weren’t the same person. The only thing that gave him away was his height. He was so tall that he had to bend over to look out the door, and this door was already several feet higher than normal doors. He had called the one next to him ‘brother’ as well.  _ He's way taller than a human could ever be.. That means.. He must be a skeleton. _ That meant that the one next to him was probably a skeleton to, and that the person and his quiet partner were probably skeletons as well. Where was this place? In the woods? I got level to the doorframe, careful not to touch either skeleton, and looked out the door. I could see that there were many trees thickly netted together. Assuming that this place was near the house, I looked for other defining features.

 

“But brother, you know how they are! They are only here because they want something from us!”

 

 I decided to try and faze through the house, staying close to the skeletons, but not close enough to accidentally touch one of them. I paid no attention to the two inside the house, who had just shut the door to talk to one another, and instead looked around a bit. The trees were super thick, leading me to believe that this was probably deep in the forest.

 

“WHY WON’T HE LISTEN?!”

 

I turned my body to face the shorter skeleton, who seemed to have directed a question at his quiet partner.

 

“I-I don’t know m'lord. It seems like... his brother may be willing to listen though. We must be polite, and if he asks us to come inside, it seems like it will be in your best interest to accept.”

 

I noticed that he said ‘your’, not ‘our’.  Whatever it is that they were trying to do, he didn't seem like he wanted a part of it. But I noticed something else. He called this shorter skeleton ‘m’lord’. It seemed similar to how Red called Edge ‘boss’, so maybe these two acted just how Edge and Red did, with Edge usually being in charge of red. This smaller skeleton was ‘the boss’ in this duo.

 

“THATS CRAZY! WE BOTH KNOW WHAT THEY DO, AND THAT IS WHY IT TOOK THEM SO LONG TO BE ALLOWED BACK INTO THE HOUSE IN THE FIRST PLACE!”

 

I could hear the taller skeleton wince.

 

“I’m sorry m’lord, it’s just tha-”

 

“I KNOW FULL WELL WHAT YOU MEANT! BUT THE AUDACITY FOR YOU TO THINK I WOULD STOOP TO THEIR LEVEL! HOW ABOUT THIS. I STAND OUT HERE AND YOU GO INSIDE AND TELL THEM WHAT WE TALKED ABOUT.”

 

“But m’lor-”

 

“NO BUTS! YOU DO WHAT I ASK OF YOU. GOT IT?”

 

Now it was my turn to wince. This dynamic... It's unhealthy. Were Red and Edge like this to? I wanted nothing more than to console the taller skeleton. I swooped slowly toward him and... I reached out…and with my pointer finger I pressed against what I found to be the fabric of a coat. I found that my hand had quickly changed from the semi transparent gray color-often associated with ghosts-to a pretty green color that seemed to embody the color I often associated with plants and life. _ It’s going to be alright, I...I promise. _

 

The taller skeleton jumped, and the aura-like thing in his chest seemed to flare up, causing me to fly upward. He whipped around, trying to see what touched him _. How did I… touch him? I shouldn't be able to… _ I looked back at my hand to find it had gone back to its semi transparent and dull grey color.

 

“WHAT'S WRONG?! DID YOU HEAR WHAT I SAID?!”

 

“Ye-yes I did, I ju-st thought I felt… it’s nothing. It’s alright, and I will do what you ask. Let's just hope that we are right about this, and that whoever the others are hiding from us is worth it…”

  
  


I could tell that the taller skeleton was still on edge, as his aura was still flared.  _ I didn't mean to startle him like that.. I hope he is alright. I should leave him be... _ I decided to fly back into the house to hear what the other two skeletons were saying. Just like before, I glided through without much effort. 

 

“BROTHER, I KNOW YOU DON’T LIKE THEM VERY MUCH, BUT WE NEED TO BE MORE FRIENDLY WITH THEM,  _ ESPECIALLY _ IF THEY ARE GOING TO BE OUR HOUSEMATES!”

 

“If that is so, why aren't they doing it then? You and I both know that those two and the others think we are freaks! They don’t give us the same courtesy, so why should we?”

 

The taller skeleton that sounded like Papyrus sighed.

 

“ARE THEY WRONG?”

 

“What? Of course they are! How could you say that?!”

 

“YOU KNOW WHAT I MEANT. THEY HAVE A REASON FOR FEARING US. EVEN IF WE AREN'T DOING IT ANYMORE, THEY STILL HAVE A REASON TO BELIEVE THAT THERE IS SOME FORM OF THREAT. WOULD A MOUSE STILL FEAR A CAT EVEN IF THE CAT SAID THAT IT HAS GONE VEGAN? OF COURSE IT WOULD STILL BE AFRAID. WE NEED TO SHOW THEM THAT WE HAVE CHANGED, NOT JUST SAY IT. WE SHOULD LISTEN TO WHAT THEY HAVE TO SAY, AND THEN WE DECIDE IF WE WANT TO ACT UPON IT OR NOT. ALRIGHT?”

 

“Th-that seems like a good Idea. I’m just...I’m sorry about freaking out on you bro.. I just have been on edge about this move, that’s all.”

 

The taller skeleton moved to hug the smaller one. I saw the taller skeletons aura flare up, with green moving to dominate out the other colors. To my surprise, this aura flare seemed to affect the other skeleton as well, with his aura changing very faintly to incorporate green where red had once dominated. 

 

“BROTHER, I KNOW I’VE TOLD YOU THIS BEFORE, BUT I WILL SAY IT AGAIN. I AM GRATEFUL FOR WHAT YOU HAVE DONE FOR ME. IF WE HAD NOT DONE WHAT WE DID, WE WOULD NOT HAVE SURVIVED TO SEE THIS WONDERFUL PLACE. THE SKY, REAL STARS, AMAZING VARIETY FOR MAKING PASTA, AND SO MANY OTHER THINGS. I CAN SEE WHY THEY WANTED TO LEAVE THE UNDERGROUND SO BADLY…”

 

“Who?”

 

“SORRY, IT’S NOTHING. I WAS JUST THINKING OF AN OLD FRIEND… I THINK WE SHOULD OPEN THE DOOR FOR THEM NOW.”

 

The taller skeleton let go of his brother, and turned to face the door, and opened it. I moved myself into a better position so I could hear and see everything going on. The taller skeleton who opened the door spoke.

 

“YOU MAY COME IN NOW.”

 

“I’M SORRY CROOKS, BUT I WILL NOT BE ABLE TO STAY FOR MUCH LONGER. I MUST GO GET EVERYTHING READY. IS IT ACCEPTABLE IF MY BROTHER TELLS YOU EVERYTHING IN MY STEAD?”

 

_ Why was the taller skeleton called ‘Crooks’? I must have something to do with his appearance.   _ The shorter skeleton’s aura seemed to expand and flare with anger, and I guessed that he didn't like that the shorter skeleton was leaving. It seemed likely that he wanted to say something, but he kept quiet.

 

“THAT IS ALRIGHT, AS LONG AS YOU DID NOT FORCE YOUR BROTHER INTO IT. DO YOU ACCEPT THIS, OR IS YOUR BROTHER FORCING YOU TO DO WHAT HE ASKS?”

 

The skeleton known as crooks looked at the quiet skeleton, who nervously replied.

 

“He didn't force me to.”

 

“ALRIGHT, IF YOU SAY SO. BUT IF YOU FEEL UNCOMFORTABLE, WE WON’T HOLD IT AGAINST YOU. YOU MAY LEAVE AT ANY TIME.”

 

The quiet skeleton sighed with relief.

 

“Thank you Crooks.”

 

“COME ON IN THEN, AND I’M SORRY ABOUT THE MESS! NO MATTER WHAT I DO, THESE COBWEBS SEEM TO RE-APPEAR. WOULD YOU LIKE TO HAVE SOME OF MY SPAGHETTI? IT IS ALRIGHT IF YOU SAY NO.”

 

Crooks closed the door, and ushered his guest toward the area with the heavenly smell. I floated along with them.

 

“No, actually, I think I will try some. Whenever I come over here always smells amazing, and honestly, I’ll take the risk. Anything you could make, even if it had something unsavory in it, would probably still be better than m’lords burritos.”

 

“WHAT A PLEASANT SURPRISE! AND YOU HAVE NOTHING TO WORRY ABOUT. IF YOU’D LIKE, I COULD SHOW YOU THE PACKAGING FROM THE MEAT I USED. IT’S WATER SAUSAGE, WHICH IS A SURPRISINGLY GOOD SUBSTITUTE FOR VEGETARIANS! I THOUGHT YOU TWO WOULD COME OVER, AND LAST TIME YOU BOTH SAID YOU WERE VEGETARIAN SO I DECIDED TO CHANGE INGREDIENTS.”

 

“I-i’m really sorry Crooks. M’lord was…. Uncertain about its contents, so he told me to say I was vegetarian so it would seem legit. Plea-please don’t tell him I told you that, or that I am going to eat your spaghetti. This may seem strange, but I do believe that you two are telling the truth about not eating... things like that anymore, but I can’t vouch for you without getting ostracized myself. This leads me to what m’lord wanted me to tell you.”

 

At this point, they had entered an area that was in better shape than the entrance of the house, where they had all sat down at a table. I decided to try and sit down in an empty seat, and I found that with effort I could sit on the chair. Now, with me on one end and the skeletons on the other, I would be able to easily see and hear what they were saying. Crooks got up from the table and went to the counter where a steaming pot was sitting. He grabbed the pot with both hands. I couldn't tell if he was wearing gloves or not, but I assumed that he was probably more heat tolerant, as he was a skeleton. He then went into a cupboard and got out three plates.

 

“HOW MUCH WOULD YOU LIKE?”

 

“I will start off with a little so I don’t waste any if I get full. I know how you guys feel about that.”

 

Crooks looked like he nodded and got some food out of the pot from a large ladle he had gotten from one of the drawers, and put the food onto the quiet skeleton’s plate. Crooks then put food on the other two plates, and handed one of them to his brother. He then got out forks from a drawer and handed it to each person.

 

“Well, come on, what's taking you so long?”

 

“BROTHER, LET HIM EAT SOME FIRST.”

 

“No, he’s right, I should cut to the point. Let me take just one bite and I’ll tell you. I just can’t help but look at my food.”

 

He wasn't wrong. The mouth watering smell coupled with the spaghetti’s pristine looks made me want to eat some myself, although I had a feeling it wouldn't work if I were to try. He quickly took his bite and chewed, then quickly swallowed. I was feeling pretty jealous right now.

 

“This stuff is amazing! Now, I’m sorry for taking so long. Let's begin.”

 

He cleared his throat, then continued.

 

“As you probably know, we were supposed to move it today, but at the last moment, Sans told us that the move was delayed.”

 

“Go on, we’re listening.”

 

_ Sans? So I was right to assume that he knew them then. I’m surprised he didn't tell me though..  _

 

“M’lord texted Edge asking what was going on, and he had replied that Sans hold told them that there was a new arrival. This was in the morning, and sense then, Edge didn't respond. It seems likely that Sans told him and the others not to.”

 

The shorter skeleton interjected.

  
  


“Why should this matter? It’s probably just another skeleton.”

  
  


“Well, when M’lord heard there was a new arrival, he had me see if I could see anything. I found that Papyrus’s car had plants and other things in the back seat, but what I found stranger was that I saw a long human hair, on the back of one of the headrests in the back, but before I could examine it closer, I heard the front door open and I had to teleport away. M’lord was quite adamant on me not being spotted, so I didn't dare go anywhere close to the house again. Another strange thing we noticed was how sudden this all seemed. No more than a few days ago there were no complaints, but all of the sudden we can’t come yet? It looks like he’s trying to hide something from us. M’lord came up with a plan and decided to include you two into it.”

 

_ He must be talking about me… why was Sans trying to hide me like this? _

 

“Well, that sure is interesting, I never thought that Sans was the kind of skeleton to want to keep a pet! May I ask where we fit into this?”

 

“Well, he thinks that we should work together to come up with a coherent plan that we both agree with, to sort of… give the newcomer an interesting welcome?”

 

“Well, that sounds like something I could  _ agree _ with! I can’t wait to see this pet that Sans thought was good enough to keep! This sounds like it’s going to be quite a bit of fun…..”

 

I was forced out of my dream, and I shot up from my new bed like a bullet.

“ _ What the heck was that _ ?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello there! this chapter was a bit late, so to make up for it, it is quite long! I hope you found those juicy details appealing... tell me how you feel about it so far! (or don't, you don't have to...)
> 
> Rose: good lord... who are those skeletons? Was it just a dream? Should I tell Sans?  
> Sans: I need to figure out how to keep Rose away from those four as long as possible...  
> PAPYRUS THE FANTASTICAL!!: I can't wait to hang out with Rose tomorrow! I can't seem to sleep...  
> Stretch: I wonder what will happen when the others find out about Rose... We can only hope they don't do something unsavory.  
> BLUE!!: Tomorrow is going to be so much fun!!  
> EDGE: I have a bad feeling... Lets hope that little midget didn't get any Ideas from the text I sent him...  
> Red: How interesting. Rose seems to be quite the character. I wonder how she would fare with the others..  
> ????: thank god for Edge, I can't wait to see this human Sans was hiding from us.  
> ????:I could have sworn I heard a women speak to me when I felt that shock... was It just my imagination?  
> Crooks: I wonder if this human likes spaghetti...  
> ????: I still can't believe that Sans thought he could hide his little pet from me... They must be quite interesting to attract his attention..


	8. It’s Alright! I have Scars to, see?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> With the help of Stretch, Rose goes to help Crooks and his brother.

Images from what I had just dreamt flashed as a jumbled mess in my mind as I tried to piece together what it all meant: That strange woman, who talked about something called a ‘soul’, And that mine was on the verge of breaking; the other skeletons and their plan, one of them saying he could teleport… All of it came together in my mind, and I didn't have answers for any of my questions, only more questions to add to the now growing heap.

 

 I imagined myself tossing each question into a growing pile, until it overflowed my mind. In a way, it helped me stabilize myself, but it was only because of how frightening of an Idea it was. The feeling of impatience… wanting answers for my questions… it gnawed at my sensibility.  _ I need to have  _ _ Patience _ _. If I allow myself to be consumed by what I don’t know, I will never be able to find answers.  _ I closed my eyes, and calmed myself, allowing my frazzled brain to relax. I opened my eyes, now feeling much more at ease.

 

 Now that I had looked enough to really take in my surroundings, I noticed that my room was still pitch black. There was no sunlight coming through my sunroof or my window. Realizing that I had nothing that could tell me the time quite yet set up in my room, I decided that I needed to go downstairs. In this way, I could kill two birds with one stone. I decided to focus on one of the major parts of my dream: the fact that those skeletons-who were angry at Sans for not telling them about what was going on-were going to be coming here.  _ I don’t understand… Why does Sans feel the reason to hide my existence from these skeletons? Is he trying to protect me? Why? Does he not trust the other skeletons?  _ I shook my head.  _ More questions…  _ I focused on the first part.  _ These skeletons obviously felt that Sans was trying to hide me from them. The only way to stop a fight would be for me to...  No. That's reckless! How would I even find the place? Unless… _

I ran my fingers through my hair, and decided to braid it as best as I could, using the ponytail that I had previously. Once it was done, I felt it down, and found that It was good enough.  _ Looks like I forgot to braid my hair before going to bed.  _ I carefully slid out legs-first from my bed,  trying hard to not wake up my cats, but found that Magic was already awake, looking at me curiously. I went to the bathroom, taking my shoes and socks, which had been on the floor of the bathroom, then I put them on. I looked at Magic, who had followed me into the bathroom. I put my pointer finger to my mouth, signaling to be quiet to him, but then I realized that I was signaling to a cat. Nevertheless, he seemed to understand, as he didn't make a sound, instead he just kept looking at me with his beautiful glowing green eyes as I carefully scooped him up and carried him. As I ran one hand along the wall, trying to find a lightswitch, I finally found the one that was next to the door to enter my room, and flipped it on. The bright light felt harsh to my not yet adjusted eyes, but I knew that I would rather be able to see with slight pains than having to risk falling in this still foreign house. I did not yet know the ins and outs of this place, so the chances of me falling or tripping were higher. I didn't really want to take a tumble down the stairs, especially if I had a cat in my arms. I looked down the curved staircase, and started to walk down it, taking care to run one of my hands down the rail as I cautiously tiptoed down the stairs, trying hard to not make a sound while I carefully held Magic in the niche of my other arm. I did not want to wake my housemates, especially since I remembered Edge enter the room that was closest to mine. I had a good feeling that waking him would sour his feelings related to me even more than they already were. My stomach rumbled, startling me, and I realized that I did not really eat dinner, or even lunch.  _ Perhaps I could also get something from the fridge before I left? Or should I keep my stomach ready?  _ I kept thinking as I carefully made my way down the staircase, watching it getting a little darker as it went. That was until I nearly reached the bottom, and noticed that there was a faint light coming from the TV, although I could not really hear a sound. There, on the couch, I saw Stretch, who was smoking a cigarette, looking a little bored.  _ How strange… I didn't know he smoked… How does that even work? Looks like that's yet another question to add to the pile.  _ As I was about to make it to the bottom, the stair below me creaked, leading to Stretch turning to face me curiously. He took his cigarette out of his mouth.

 

Stretch spoke in a hushed voice.

 

“You all right honey? Could you not sleep?”

 

“I could ask you the same thing!”

 

Stretch smirked. 

  
  


“Well, let's just say I probably shouldn't have drank caffeine so late in the day. I honestly prefer honey, but I don’t regret drinking coffee when I need to. just means I end up not getting to bed… Well then, what's your excuse? I have a feeling it wasn't because of caffeine.”

  
  
  


I shook my head, and quietly replied as I walked toward him.

 

“Not quite. I just woke up from a rather strange dream, and found that I could not fall back to sleep. I actually came down here to ask Sans about something I saw, but I now realize that that may not be the best Idea.”

 

As I finished, I moved to sit beside Stretch, who had moved over to make room. I sat Magic on my lap. Stretch looked at me with a mixture of humor and curiosity. 

 

“Oh? Do tell.”

 

I nervously looked at him.

 

“Well, this may sound ridiculous, but I saw something… that is leading me to believe that someone is coming here to confront Sans.”

 

Stretch took the cigarette and grinded it on a cigarette plate that sat on the desk beside the sofa, and then set the now snuffed-out butt on the plate. Once he was done, he turned his full attention to me. 

 

“Not to sound rude, but could you explain to me how you know that it is real? I’ve had some pretty bad dreams in my lifetime, but none of them were real. It doesn't mean that they didn't feel like they were in the moment though…”

 

I nodded, understanding full heartedly what he meant. I had had some pretty awful dreams in my lifetime as well.

 

“I understand what you mean. It’s just… well, let me tell you what I saw.”

 

I explained everything that went on in my dreams, however, I left what I saw in my first dream sequence vague, as I did not truly know if it was reality or not. I did not feel as if it was really necessary to what was going on, and I had a feeling that whatever I had seen was meant to be personal. _ After all, how would he know anything about that woman? _ I told him all about the auras I saw, learning that the people I was watching were skeletons, accidentally touching one of the skeletons and learning that he actually felt it, finding out that one of them was called Crooks, as well as learning that one of them could teleport and had seen one of my hairs, which lead them to learn that Sans was hiding someone from them. I concluded by telling him that they were planning on coming here to confront Sans, and maybe even everyone else.

 

“That’s… Unbelievable… I’ve never heard of someone being able to…”

 

Stretch seemed to be contemplating what he had just heard, and I was afraid that he didn't believe me.  _ It’s not like I don’t blame him… I wouldn't believe myself either if I was in his position.. It was something that would have been hard to understand unless you saw it yourself. _

 

“I will understand if you don’t believe me… It's just that… If there is even a chance of what I saw being real… I-I must act upon it.”

  
  


We sat quietly for a couple of seconds, until Stretch broke the silence.

 

“I...I will help you. If you need help getting whatever you are planning on doing, just ask. I think that what you saw really did happen, and that you didn't just see a flashback… You were there when it was going on. Hold on, let me check something. Might as well teleport as well. No use hiding it now...”

 

I watched as he disappeared in front of my eyes with a strange noise and an even stranger glow, only for him to reappear seconds later with the same strange effect, like him doing this was distorting reality. Magic looked at Stretch with cautious eyes, then went back to resting.

 

“Just as I thought. It’s only around 3:30 A.M. you said that one of the skeletons said that it was 3:00 at one point, right?”

 

I nodded.

 

“That means that you were there as it was happening, with no delay… amazing. And you said you couldn't see any physical features of these skeletons, only glows?”

 

“Yes. the auras weren't just static either. They seemed to change with their emotions, and I noticed that one aura could affect another’s.”

 

His eyes seemed to widen slightly, like he just had had a revelation, but he quickly went back to normal, and kept whatever he learned to himself. I decided not to press him on it.

 

“This skeleton... The one that you touched…  how did he act after it happened?”

 

I thought about the question, trying to recall what happened.

 

“He had acted like something had just shocked him, and had even turned around to look behind him. He almost acted like he had heard something… Oh! I forgot to mention something else. My hand had changed color from a sort of grey to a green color when it happened, but afterwards it turned back to grey again.” 

 

Stretch nodded but stayed silent. I decided that It was my turn to ask a question.

  
  


“I’m guessing that only one out of every pair of skeletons can teleport? 

  
  


Stretch looked a bit shocked, and asked,

 

“What do you mean by that?”

 

“Well, the skeleton who said that he could teleport was doing it because the other skeleton had asked him to look around, but from what I could gather from this smaller skeleton's personality, it seemed that if he had the ability to teleport he would have done such an important job himself. This leads me to believe that he can’t teleport, so he was having his brother look around for him. And what about you and your brother? I certainly don’t see Blue teleporting, and even though I feel like he wouldn't want to use the ability all the time if he had the ability to, I don’t believe he would be very good at hiding it. And what about Sans? Now that I think about it, there was a time in the store where he was suddenly behind me without me seeing him move.  My point is, every single pair of you are eerily similar, and it seems like each pair has the same core elements. Why haven’t I seen any girl skeletons? Why did Crooks sound exactly like Papyrus? At this point with all this crazy stuff I wouldn't be surprised if you were all copies of the same two people or something.”

 

 I paused, and looked at Stretch’s shocked face, then continued, with determination in my voice.

 

“But, honestly, It doesn't matter. I can tell that whatever is causing all of this strangeness, it is personal, and I will wait patiently until you are all comfortable enough to tell me yourselves. It’s not like I don’t have a few things I’ve been keeping to myself either, but everyone has their own  _ skeletons _ in their closet, if you know what I mean.” 

 

I watched as Stretch noticeably relaxed, giving out a small snigger. I continued.

  
  


 “All that I ask is that we all find a way to have balance. Those other skeletons are angry at Sans for hiding  _ my _ existence from them. As possible housemates, they should have been told about what was going on.  No matter what, they should be treated with the same respect as I was. That's why I plan on meeting them myself, with no interference from Sans.”

 

“Honey, I don’t know if that's the best Idea… You need to have someone else with you! Those two… They can be dangerous.”

 

I smiled.

  
  


“Well, if it makes you feel any better, why don’t you come with me?”

  
  


Stretch sighed. 

  
  


“Well, it looks like I fell right into that one… Alright. I did promise I’d help you after all, didn't I?”

  
  


Stretch chuckled.

 

“You seem quite different, Don’t you? I would never have thought when I first saw you that you could get this serious.”

  
  


I replied calmly, although I was blushing slightly.

  
  


“I’m honestly surprised to! I’m not usually like this, but When it comes to things like this, I can get quite direct. After all, I don’t want my housemates to fight each other!”

  
  


“So, what's the plan?”

  
  


“Well, I need to know a couple minor things first. Can you take me with you if you were to teleport?”

  
  


“Yup. I can teleport one to two people and even small objects as well. I can hold more than that, but I'd get very tired out. So can everyone else that can teleport. The only thing that's needed is for them to be close enough to me to be touching.” 

 

“Alright! That's good to know. Next, is it likely that Sans, Blue, or anyone else might notice that we are gone?

  
  


“Well, Sans normally sleeps a bit late, although if he were to check up on you a bit earlier because you're new, there could be problems. I think we should have  seven hours at a minimum.. Luckily for us, my brother has given up on trying to wake me up early up a long time ago, so he would probably check up on me at around the same time that Sans would check up on you.”

 

“That should be more than enough time. One last thing. How would Crooks and his brother react if we were to show up at their front door?”

 

Stretch winced. 

 

“Well, if Crooks was the one who opened the door, he would probably invite us inside… but.. If his brother does… I don’t know what he would do, except that whatever happened… it probably wouldn't be very good. Let's just say he doesn't like me or most of the others that much.”

  
  


“What if he opened the door and only saw me?”

  
  


Stretch’s eyes narrowed.

  
  


“Honey, I don’t think that would be a very good idea.”

  
  


I let out an exasperated sigh.

  
  


“What other option do we have? I don’t want them getting in trouble because of me, and I definitely don’t want Sans to fight them! If I explain myself, and get this resolved peacefully, there would be no reason to not let them move in, and tensions between them and Sans can relax. You said that I was the kind of person that this house needed-a mediator to do what Sans just can’t do on his own-and I plan on doing just that. I’ve seen their home. It’s falling apart! They don’t even seem to have electricity any more. This isolation that they have been forced into is unfair. I know what it feels like to be forced into a home that I did not want to be in, and it seems that they would have just left if they could, but whatever is going on with you guys is holding them here. I don’t know why, but I can tell that they’ve been through a lot… I can  _ feel _ their suffering. Even if it were to put me in some sort of ‘danger’, I’m going to march on over there and help them. If you don’t want to help me, that's fine, and I won’t be angry with you for it. It just means that I would find my way there myself.”

  
  


I could feel my emotions flaring, and for the first time in a long time, I was ready to do something I wasn't able for many years. I was willing to  _ fight  _ for something, even if it was just passive protest. Stretch’s eyes widened slightly, and I could see that he was staring at my face. I blushed slightly.

  
  


“What? Do I have something on my face?”

  
  


“No... I... I was just looking at your eyes. Have they always changed color?”

  
  


“What, did they? My Dad had said that my eyes change color a long time ago... I think he said they change whenever I feel strong emotions…”

 

I smiled, remembering the memory, but realizing we were getting off track, I turned the conversation back to the topic at hand.

 

“Anyway, let's get ready!”

 

I was just about to get up when Stretch put his hand out to stop me. 

 

“Rose, before we go… I need to tell you something about the appearance… of these two.”

 

I turned toward stretch, and looked at him curiously. 

 

“What do you mean by that?”

  
  


“Well.. um, they were in a pretty bad place before coming here. Well, it wasn't like that originally, but… something happened. And it affected them… in some pretty bad ways-”

 

I cut Stretch off, trying my best to remain firm.

  
  


“-you don’t need to worry about… me being freaked out. The place I was in before was quite gruesome… I do not discriminate by appearance. But… Thank you for giving me a warning. At least I now know what to expect.”

 

Stretch sighed, and took his hand out of the way, standing up as he did it.  _ There is a reason I don’t discriminate…  _ I looked at my right palm to find that my scar was staring back snidely.  _ How could you discriminate? You don’t have the right! After all, you're nothing! Worthless… how could anyone love such a hopeless mess?  _ I shook myself out of my trance. I looked up at the stretch to see that he was looking at me with concern.

  
  


“Alright then. That's everything I needed to tell you.”

  
  


 He held out his hand, this time for me to grab onto it.

  
  


“Honey, promise me...Promise me this. Be careful, alright? I'm pretty sure Blue wouldn't be very happy if I told him I lost his new friend in the woods in the middle of the night.” Stretch heartily chuckled, then continued. “And oh boy would Sans be  _ pissed _ !”

 

I giggled, and carefully set Magic on the floor, then took his outreached skeletal hand. For a split second, I saw him wince, and I felt his grip tighten slightly, but after that moment, his face went back to normal, with his grip relaxing.

He brought me up, then, letting go of my hand, he wrapped his other arm along my side. I wasn't prepared for this, and I jumped back, almost falling, but Stretch quickly held me back up.

 

“Sorry about that! I forgot to remind you to hold on. When I teleport, I need you to be close to me. People who have never teleported before have a hard time, so the best way to deal with that is to hold them closer than normal.”

 

“Alright..”

  
  


I shaikly wrapped my arms around his midsection, and once I was held on, I didn't let go. In my nervousness, I tightened my grip, until I was practically latched onto him like a barnacle. And found that I was hugging onto his ribs. It was slightly painful for me, but I was so nervous that I didn't care.  _ I wasn't hurting him though, was I? _

 

“Woah… that's weird. Sans’ coat is bulky, so I didn't notice his ribs.. I’m not hu-hurting you.. Am I?” I paused and looked down, blushing, then continued. “I can loosen my grip on you if you need me too…”

 

I looked up to see Stretch grinning. I noticed that his bony cheeks had a blush-like tint to them. I heard a low hum, coming from his rib cage area, but I decided it was only my mind playing tricks on me.

  
  


“Honey, as long as you feel comfortable, I don't care. If it makes you feel any better, the most I’m feeling right now is a tickle. Are you ready? I’m going to have you close your eyes and hold your breath, alright? Sometimes people who aren't used to teleporting freak out when they feel the change.”

 

I nodded, and closed my eyes.

 

“I’m ready.”

 

I heard the same noise again, and I felt my body almost become weightless. I could feel that we had entered a new place. Then It went right back to normal, all in the span of about three seconds. I still closed my eyes, and held my breath, just in case. However, I had a feeling that I didn't need to. _ That place… It felt... Familiar. How soothing... _

 

“It’s alright Honey, you can let go now.”

 

I opened my eyes and let go of my breath. I looked around to find we were in the general area that I remember from my dream. The dense forest was shifting as a light, chilly breeze drifted through the branches of the large trees. It was almost like the forest was whistling. I hugged my shoulders, as my body started to feel the chill. Even though I was wearing a sweatshirt and sweatpants, the cold breeze of spring at night was chilling me to the bone. 

 

“Honey, are you alright?”

  
  


I moved to look at Stretch, who was looking at me with concern. I smiled, trying to hide my discomfort.

  
  


“I'm fine, just a bit cold, that's all. I’m not used to how cold it can get up here. Moving around will help warm me up, so I'll be fine!”

  
  


He looked at me for a moment longer, almost as if he was trying to decide something, then he started to remove his hoodie.

  
  


“Huh?! No-no! You don’t need to do that! I’ll be fine, don’t worry!”

  
  


But at that point, it was too late. I blushed.  _ Well, at least he's wearing an undershirt… _

  
  


He held out his hoodie to me, smirking.

  
  
  


“You gonna take it or what? Don’t tell me you want my shirt too?!”

  
  


I started to blush even harder. I quickly snatched his hoodie, then hastily put it on top of my own. The thing was definitely too big for me, so much so that it went past my hands and went down to my thighs, but it was definitely an improvement. I was already starting to warm up. I faintly smelled honey and other sugary delights, as well as a more distinct scent, although I could feel with certainty that it was not bad. I looked up to see Stretch faintly blushing.

 

“Wow.. it looks nice on you! Maybe I should get you one of your own? Then we could be twins. Heh…” Stretch chuckled, still blushing, and continued, “My brother wouldn't be able to tell the difference, considering, we look _so_ _alike_ and all. I mean, _look_ at us! We’re virtually identical! Same height and everything!” 

 

To ‘prove his point’ he crouched down to match my height, using one of his skeletal hands as a guide of sorts. I giggled, playing along.

 

“And look at all those  _ luxurious _ locks you have! I match it to a tee!”

 

I made a silly gesture to show off his ‘locks’. In turn, he softly stroked his head.

 

“Ah, yes, my beautiful hair. It's a wonder it took someone this long to see it.”

 

He took one of those sexy poses that women use on the cover of magazines, holding up his hand up against his imaginary hair. I could have sworn that he started to dazzle, along with the audible sound of a faint ‘wow!’, although it was probably just the wind.

 

“How do I look?”

 

“You look just fabulous!” I giggled, then realizing that we had gotten distracted, I added, “If I had it my way, I'd look at you forever, but we have things to do. Let's go!”

 

Stretch got out of his pose, leaving the dazzling light to fade away. _ So cool… although i have a feeling that he transcended time and space to make that joke… oh well! _

 

“Alright, if you say so,  _ twin _ !”

 

We walked along the well-worn path until we quickly came upon the shack-like structure I remember. Now that I could see it in my normal perspective, I could notice even more problems that ailed this poor building. Its slender frame had seen better days, and in many areas on the roof it was missing shingles; which was probably why the ceiling was leaking. The windows were boarded up, probably in an effort to stop the cold from coming in. Many other things seemed to be wrong with this building, but it made me saddened to look at them. I could see hints of this building's former glory; in many ways this house looked like the manson; although it was obvious that the mansion had one thing that this place did not. Proper care. 

 

Bits and pieces of the roof still stood, with the supporting beams having carvings of elegant patterns. I could imagine this edifice being a once beautiful place to live, but now it was only a phantom of its past beauty. The building looked like it could topple at any moment. 

 

I felt as if Our pace had been steadily slowing the closer we came to the house, but I only really noticed when it had slowed to a crawl. We stopped a bit outside the front door. Stretch broke the silence.

  
  


“I will stand to the side far enough that I can’t be seen; but still be able to hear what goes on. That way, if anything happens, I can get you out of there, while still not pissing him off with my presence.”

 

I nodded, almost afraid of speaking. I was finally here, but it scared me, and I didn't know why.

  
  


I looked at the door. For some reason, standing in this spot was much harder to do for real than it would have if I could do it in a dream. Unlike in a dream, where It wasn't reality, if I messed up I couldn't just reset. My actions, once done, could not be undone. I gulped, trying my best to prepare myself for what was to come. I looked over to stretch, who was leaning on the side of the house. He nodded. _ Here goes nothing.  _ I knocked.

 

“WE’RE COMING! I WOULD NORMALLY BE THERE TO GREET YOU, BUT MY BROTHER WILL BE OPENING THE DOOR, AS MY HANDS ARE FULL!”

 

The similarity that Crooks' voice was when compared to Papyrus almost caused me to relax. After all, that means Sans would be opening the door, right? But I knew better. Whoever would open this door wouldn't be Sans per say, as it was more likely to be someone who looked similar to him in one way or another, but I already knew from what I had seen of him that he was much,  _ much _ different from Sans. I felt as if time slowed down. Seconds became minutes to me, and I couldn't even hear the sound of the branches moving in the wind anymore, only the sound of footsteps from within the house.

I heard the door whip open with a meek screech, almost like the poor hinges were wailing in protest at their mistreatment. I looked up. My eyes widened, shocked at what they saw, causing me to cover my mouth with my hand. I felt a sharp pain in my chest.  _ Oh no… How did that happen to him? _

  
  


“What the  _ hell _ did I tell you?! Didn't I say just to text me? Why are you-”

  
  


When the skeleton finally looked at me and noticed that I was not who he thought I was, his words suddenly stopped. His single, scarlet red eyelight focused on me with confusion, with his other eye nothing but a black abyss. I tried to keep my eyes from wandering to the large crack in his skull that seemed to find ways of occupying my vision. This led me to look at his attire. Much Like Sans, he had a thick and fluffy coat, although his coat was much more frayed and worn looking. His undershirt was stained red, which I assumed, or hoped, was because of ketchup. He wore the same type of shorts and slippers as Sans did as well, but just like his coat, they were slightly dirty looking, with some areas having splotches of dirt that probably happened when he was in the woods.  _ Even his clothes seemed to have been through a lot. _ I shakily moved my hand from my side, although I decided against it, letting it fall back down. The skeleton, who seemed to be recovering from his shock, stared down at me with an indiscernible gaze.

 

“Why are you here?”

 

Such a simple question, but it got his point across nicely. His questioning tone was obvious. 

 

“I came here t-to talk to you and your brother... I’m the new housemate!”

  
  


I stammered out my answer shyly, and looked up to see the skeleton start to grin smugly, with the grin first starting small, then growing larger as if he had just fully understood a joke.

  
  


“So, Sans sent you here to set us up, eh? He’s probably hiding out here watching me then?”

 

He looked at my shocked face with a grin. He moved forward, causing me to jump out of his way. It didn't take long for him to see Stretch, who was at this point lounging in an old chair not too far away from the door. Stretch causally put up his hand.

  
  


“Sup’.”

 

The skeleton started to smirk even more.

 

“I thought so.” He turned to me. ”So, how much did he tell you? Did he say ‘that we were crazy, evil  _ monsters _ that you should stay away from?’ Or maybe, even better, he told you that we should be kept from harming anyone else, and the best way to do that is by keeping us here? Tell me human, what else did he say? Did I miss anything? It must have been quite the spectacle.” He laughed. “After all, he apparently cares about you enough that he tried to  _ hide _ you! I wonder now… How did  _ that _ work out?” 

 

I looked at him with sadness in my eyes. His anger was quite obvious, and I understood why. Behind his laughing tone hid hurt and sadness, almost like a scared puppy who didn't know what they had done wrong. I wanted to comfort him, but knew that the best way to do this was to explain everything.

  
  


“He didn't tell me anything. I didn't know about you or the other skeletons until around 3:00 this morning.”

 

He chuckled, then looked over to Stretch. 

 

“So, you're telling me Stretch told you? Finally got the _guts_ to do something for once, Ashtray? I would say I was proud, of course, but that would be if I actually cared.” He turned back to me.

 

“I didn't tell her either, Skull. She learned about you guys herself when she saw you in a dream. Sans doesn't even know we are here, and if he did, I think he would probably be  _ preeetty _ pissed. So just know this; I’m going to wait out here while she explains herself, and if you hurt her, it won’t just be me who wouldn't be very happy. Honestly, I’d rather not become part of a dust bunny, and I have a feeling you don’t either, so If you know what's good for you, you will be polite. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I’ll be over here, napping.”

 

Skull looked at Stretch, then back to me, finally stopping by looking me up and down, as if he was looking for possible threats or weapons. I blushed, and with one hand I held the forearm of the other, almost like I was trying to hide. I let out a sigh of relief when he let out a grunt, apparently satisfied.

  
  


“Fine. You’ll get what you want.” He paused, then looked at me with dangerous resolve, continuing, “If you say  _ anything _ out of turn, you leave. I’ve had to deal with enough bratty entitled people for one day.”

 

This made me feel even worse.  _ Did I give off the sense of being afraid or judgmental in any way? Oh no.. _

 

“If I made you think I felt that way… I’m sorry. I never wanted to make you feel angry with my presence. I’m only here because I want my future housemates to get along!”

 

I tried my best to express my regret and emotion with my words. I looked at his face to find him unreadable. His body language was so foreign and……... rough compared to what I was used to.    
  


“I-no.  _ We _ ….. Don’t need your pity. Keep your sappy talk to yourself, as it's not welcome here.  _ Empathy _ doesn't change the past, or set food on the table. Now, let's go. I’m sick of standing outside.”

  
  


I followed him into the worn-down house. It looked exactly as it did in my dream, and I could see candlelight coming from the kitchen. He closed the door behind us, then looked at me with a critical eye.

 

“Such a frail and fragile looking human. You don’t have any physical appeal to you at all! Maybe it was your scent? No, it can’t be that. You’ve only been here one day and there scents are overpowering yours. Makes sense though, as you are wearing Ashtray’s scent trap of a hoodie… and I thought I was bad at cleaning my things… It doesn't make sense though.. You're so weak looking! Then why… Why is Sans so interested in you?” 

 

He took a step toward me, then another, causing me to shrink back. He chuckled.

 

“Do you _ really _ think I’d hurt you? You must think pretty poorly of me then, huh? I’m smart enough to know full well what would happen if I did cause you harm. No… I don’t need to hurt you to anger him. You just being here is  _ more _ than enough!”

 

I silently scolded myself for stepping back. It wasn't fear of  _ him _ that caused that reaction.  _ your muscle memory seems to be hard to replace, isn't it?  _ A small voice in my mind whispered.  _ He’s right on one thing… Look at how fragile you are! How WEAK.  _ Even my mind was making fun of me at this point. 

  
  


“Well then! We might as well get into the kitchen. I assume you're hungry, right? After all, you seem like you got here in a rush.”

 

I perked up, noticing that I have something to talk about to distract myself.

 

“Yes, actually! In my dream, your brother's spaghetti was so good smelling that I had to hold myself back from trying to eat it!”

 

Skull stared at me, as if looking at me hard enough would provide him the answers he was looking for.

 

“Hmm.. is that so? How strange. It’s hard to believe that you saw us before we saw you, with a dream of all things! Tell me, If you were there, what does my brother look like?”

  
  


_I see what he is trying to do._ _I don’t blame him though._ I looked straight at him, determined to show him that I wasn't lying on what I saw. I suck at lying, but he doesn't know that. One well known thing about lying is that liars often have a hard time looking at someone in the eyes when telling a lie.

  
  


“Well, I know for certain that he is much, much taller than Papyrus, probably being around ten to eleven feet tall. However, I don’t know what he physically looked like, only that in my dream, him, you, and the other two skeletons had no appearance except for that of silhouettes.”

  
  


“Heh. one of them could have told you that.”

 

I didn't lose faith, instead continuing to look him in the eye.

 

“However, I have something else that may prove I was there. Instead of having truly tangible bodies, each of you had small auras that seemed to show from your chest. I could tell that they were there because their bright and flowing colors contrasted with your black silhouettes. Each had multiple colors, with your brother specifically having mostly greens, reds, and oranges.   _ Yours _ , however…. did not show multiple colors. Your aura was a deep, blood colored scarlet red.”

 

I continued to look at him without wavering. His red eye started to dart around nervously, then settled back to my eyes.

  
  


“How did you…. How did you see that? That's not…”

  
  


I continued.

  
  


“It was only when your _brother_ _hugged_ you after he said how grateful he was to you and what you did for him to help survive... to allow him to see things he would never have been able to see... that his aura seemed to spark and change yours to incorporate green. Is that enough to prove I was there? Or do you want more?”

 

Skull stood there in stunned silence. Yet, I continued,  _ determined _ to prove my truthfulness.  _ Not good enough.  _

 

 “I could even tell you about what the other two skeletons were talking about outside when you and your brother had been having the conversation I just recounted to you. I could talk about how when the taller skeleton was asked by Crooks on whether or not his brother had commanded him to enter you and your brothers home, he was  _ lying _ . His brother  _ had _ commanded him to talk to you two, as he was uncaring of what his brother's feelings might have been. This was Lucky for his brother, however, as to him, this was a rare and amazing chance he was given. He had wanted to try Crooks’ cooking after all, and to be able to talk to you two without his brother telling him what to say was a relief. He wanted to tell you that he trusted you. In fact, he told you not to tell his brother, although he called his brother ‘M’lord’. Do you believe me now?”

  
  


Skull said nothing, and only stared at me intently. I sighed.

 

 “I’m sorry to have to come this far, but I wanted to show you that I have no ulterior motives or people telling me what to say or do. The only reason I know about you and your brother is because I saw you in my dream. I don’t want to get anything out of this. The only thing I came here for was to help you and Crooks! When I saw this place, and the conditions you were in, I wanted to help. I’m genuinely sorry if you feel like I’m pitying you…” 

 

I nervously looked down, still speaking, 

 

“I’m not really used to speaking my mind like this…. Honestly, If those two hadn't arrived at my work, I probably would have been living the way I was for the rest of my life, slowly feeling my will to live being sucked out of my by that horrid area…” I shuddered. Suddenly, I felt a hand softly tap my shoulder, although it quickly retracted, as if it had been hit by static.

 

“WELL, I’M HAPPY THAT THE OTHERS HELPED YOU! AFTER ALL, I WOULDN'T BE SEEING YOU RIGHT NOW IF THEY HADN'T! NOW, ARE YOU HUNGRY? I CAN GET YOU SOME OF MY LEFTOVER SPAGHETTI!?”

 

_ Papyrus…. No. not Papyrus. This is Crooks. Although, I don’t really like the idea of calling him that. _ I turned around. I started at his feet, then went up, noticing he was wearing something that was almost like armor as well as boots. Both were worn and rugged, just like what Skull was wearing. Instead of normal gloves, he wore long mittens that held the fingers much more loose than normal gloves did. I then saw his scarf, which had tears in the fabric here and there. But when I saw his face…  _ oh god… not him too…  _

 

His striking similarity to papyrus was apparent, in almost every way, except for one striking difference.  _ His face… _

 

Unlike Papyrus, who had straight, white teeth, Crooks’ were uneven and crooked with the tips of his teeth stained red. His face and head looked like he was bludgeoned in the face with a heavy object.  _ Such a horrid nickname…. _

I blinked, and was surprised to find a tear had started to run down my cheek. I looked into his eyelights. 

 

“HUMAN, ARE YOU ALRIGHT?” He looked at me with concern. 

 

“How did this…. How did this happen to you?”

 

_ Someone hurt him… who would hurt someone this kind?! I don’t understand... _

 

My legs started shaking, threatening to collapse.

 

“I’M SCARING YOU…. AREN'T I? I’M SORRY…”

 

My eyes widened with horror. I felt like I kicked a puppy. Another tear went down my cheek. In the corner of my eye, I could see Skull looking at me, but I didn’t take the time to try and decipher his emotions.  _ Sorry Skull, but I need to help a cinnamon bun first. _

 

“Oh gods... Sweetheart, that's not it at all… I’m not crying because I’m scared of you… How could I be?”

 

I moved forward and gently wrapped my arms around him in a hug. It was hard because of how tall he was, but I didn't care.

 

“Sweetheart, when I look at you, it hurts me... to think that someone could inflict pain on someone like you… Someone… someone kind. It hurts me to think that someone is suffering like…. Like I did.”

 

“WHAT….WHAT DO YOU MEAN? SOMEONE... HURT YOU?”

  
  


I pulled away and smiled sadly. I held up my arm, and started to pull down my sleeve. The scars that had once been hidden reared their ugly heads, marking my pale skin in incoherent and asymmetrical ways. I took one of his gloved hands in mine, finding that my hands were dwarfed when compared to his.

  
  


“I don’t know what you went through, but I can tell that whatever it was, It caused you great pain. It was something that changed you forever. I can try to understand the pain you and your brother felt....”

 

I looked at Crooks, and smiled brightly.

 

“And If you ever want someone to talk about it, I will always be there. After all,  if I’m going to be your housemate, You could visit me anytime you want!”

  
  


“REALLY?”

  
  


“Of course! As long as we live under the same roof, you’ll have my support Croo…. No. I’m not going to call you that.”

 

 I stopped, realizing that I would need to think up a better nickname.  _ Wait… I have one that might work. _

  
  


“Crooks?... How about I call you Sweets instead? After all, you're such a sweetheart that trying to call you anything else would be hard.”

 

His face lit up.

 

“THAT'S…. AMAZING! I LOVE IT! THANK YOU!”

 

I was about to pull back up my sleeve, but Skull got my attention. He was nervously scratching and pulling on the side of the crack in his skull. It looked painful, and wanting to distract him, I moved to get his attention.

 

“Skull, are you alright?”

 

He stared at me, then quickly looked away uncomfortably.  _ Something in his demeanor changed… I think I did something that helped him change his mind… I wonder what caused it? _

 

“Hey, human… I’m sorry for doubting you, okay? I’ve just been so nervous recently and… I was afraid that something was going to go wrong somehow. When you showed up I… I didn't know what to think.” 

 

He put his right hand into his pocket, then brought it back out, apparently deciding against it.

 

 “I just think we got off on the wrong foot, you know? All of this nonsense wasn't your fault, and yet…. I still took my anger out on you anyway. So… how about we put that behind us?”

 

He held out his right hand, grinning like a…. _A maniac._ _Maybe he had thought up a funny joke?_

 

“I’m Sans, Sans the Skeleton.”

 

_....wait a minute... _

 

My eyes boggled out of my head. 

 

“ _ Whuh? _ ”

 

 Skull let out a sort of chortle, and brushed his cheek with his left hand, keeping his right hand out front.

 

“Ooohh, was your face Priceless! I’m pulling your leg, don’t worry! I’m usually called Skull by the others, but you may call me anything you like. To name a few known names the others like to use, you could call me Freak, Asshole, Murderer, ‘The skeleton with no brains’, the scary guy with the axe and a hole in his head, or, if you’re feeling  _ kinky _ , you could call me ‘ _ daddy _ ’! Lets just say, I wasn't expecting to hear that one!”

 

I giggled, blushing like crazy. _ Nope! No way I’d call him that! _

 

 “I’ll respond to any of those, or anything else you can think up. And  _ trust _ me on this, The others have thought up a wide variety of  _ interesting _ nicknames. But enough of me, what should we call you?”

  
  


I smiled cheerfully.

 

“My name’s Rose, and I’m glad to properly make your acquaintance!”

  
  


I took his outstretched hand.

  
  
  


_ZZBBT!_ My hand shot back. I wasn't expecting to be shocked. _Was that… a Joy buzzer? Wow!_

  
  


_ “ _ Haha! I haven't seen one of those in a while! Good one!”

 

I looked at his face to see him looking at his hand curiously.

 

“Are you alright? Did it shock you as well, somehow?”

 

He chuckled nervously, then locked eyes with his brother.

  
  


“Yah… Something like that... Anyways, didn't you say you came here because you had a plan?”

  
  


Remembering that I came here to help them kicked me into third gear.

 

“Yes actually! I have a plan! I was thinking I could talk it over with you two.”

 

“WELL, WE MIGHT AS WELL DO IT OVER SOME OF MY SPAGHETTI!”

 

I smiled. 

  
  


“I must say, that Idea sounds heavenly! I’d love to try some of your food, although I may want to start with a small portion.”

  
  


I was about to head in the kitchen, when Skull started to speak.

  
  


“Hmm, I must say something I was able to notice quite quickly when I first saw you, even though that annoying Ashtray’s hoodie, as well as whatever else you are wearing….You are quite thin… Do you have trouble eating?”

 

I looked at Skull nervously.  _ How did he know? It isn’t….that obvious, is it?   _

 

“Well, yes actually… I have had trouble with eating for quite some time. I’m just surprised you were able to tell…”

 

“Let’s just say... I’ve had some experience to know what someone who isn't eating enough looks like.”

 

I looked at Skull to find that he was slowly bringing his hand back up to the crack in his skull, although he stopped halfway, letting his hand fall back down, and into one of the pockets of his coat, as if he was trying to play it off as him just bringing his arm up to scratch his head, and nothing more. 

  
  


“Well, whatever had caused you to not eat as much as you are supposed to stops now. While you are in our care, as well as when we become your housemates, I will personally make sure you eat. Think of it as a gift for your help, as well as your kindness.”

 

I let out a huff.

 

_ Just how many skeletons are willing to help? It’s insane to me just how ignorant all of these monster haters are. If they spent any time with them at all, they would realize just how kind they all are. And another thing... All of them really do have more in common that I first realized. _

 

I giggled.

 

“Alrighty then! I have a feeling that you won’t take no for an answer anyway, so why try to say no? I have a feeling you will be regretting your promise in the future, though. A  _ lot _ of my stomach's contents are going to end up in a toilet or trash can, because I can’t say no to Papyrus, Blue Or Edge.... Although, I do have a plan to help them learn how to cook better, so who knows?”

 

I could see that Skull was inwardly cridging. 

 

“I’d be careful about eating Mr. _ Edgelord’s _ lasagna if I were you… he has an awful, downright dangraus and stupid habit of breaking the glass containers of his vinegar and having it all spill into his lasagna… And as the dimwitted ass that he is, he acts like there's nothing wrong with it, too afraid to admit that he isn’t as great as he says he is. It's a waste of food, and I’m certain it shouldn’t be eaten under any circumstances. It's a miracle his slave of a brother has survived this long, although I don’t give a crap on whether or not he chokes on his brother’s food or not. The edgy basterds could do whatever the hell they wanted, as long as it didn't bother us, and I wouldn't care.” 

 

He sighed, taking his arm once again out of his pocket, letting it fall down to a resting position. 

 

“It's part of the reason I dislike the idea of moving in with the others so much. I can barely tolerate their presence on the rare occasions I see them, and It doesn't take a genius to see they feel the same way about us. And that isn’t the worst of it. I could tolerate it, but when I see how they look at my brother…. it pisses me off. They act like he's a freak of nature, or a disease that could spread! I just want so badly to…to,” 

 

he started to shake, and I could feel something eminitatting from him. something….  _ dangerous. _

 

Despite my better judgment and the instinct I felt that told me to back away…

 

I moved. 

  
  


 At first, when I hugged him, and could feel him tense, like he couldn't tell if my gesture was a trick, but I could soon feel him leave that instinctive mindset, and return to reality. He returned the hug, as well as let his head relax, and because he was taller than I was, his head went to rest between my shoulder and neck. I felt his breathing hit my skin. It was a strange and unusual feeling, but I allowed myself to calm, which I could feel affected Skull positively. His breathing relaxed as well, slowing to a much softer and normal sounding pace. Now that there was less noise, I could hear a faint hum coming from his ribcage, just like what I had heard when holding Stretch. Upon closer inspection, I noticed that It was almost like a heartbeat. At the pace it was going at right now, it almost had a tranquil effect to it. The sound felt nice to hear.

 

 I felt Skull's neck shift, and I could feel that his head was facing more toward my ear and temple. I heard the soft sound of him breathing in with his nose.  _ Was he…. Sniffing me? Uhhhh…..  _ Not knowing how to react, I stood there how I was, waiting for someone else to speak, giving me an excuse to not have to get me out of this situation myself. I didn't really feel frightened, or as if I was in danger, and honestly I only wanted for Skull to feel more at ease, so if this made him feel better, I was more than willing to wait. After all, it was such a small thing, and I needed to get used to physical contact again. It almost felt… comforting.  _ These skeletons seem to be quite the touchy-feely bunch, aren't they? Not that I mind much, as long as it is appropriate. The only real reason I was feeling so nervous was because of how long it had been since I had been given as much as a high five!   _

 

I felt Skull softly step back, releasing his arms, so I did the same. He looked at me with much more clarity than before, as if his mind had been clouded, and with something to center him, the cloud hovering over him was released. His smile was less tight, and his eye seemed to have less trouble finding what he wanted to look at, which at this point, was me. I could sense something else as well. Something… something  _ hidden.  _ Something that was not meant to be normally seen by the eye.  _ I think I now realize what that woman had meant by my… Soul. I had been seeing their Souls before, wasn't I? That’s why he looked so shocked. But… What does that mean for my Soul? She said it was on the verge of cracking... _

 

“Thank you… for that. I think I realize now why Sans was so interested in you, and why Stretch was so willing to help. I finally realize…. just how much you went out of your way to help us. I’m open to any suggestions you have, but I don’t want to put all of my hope into it… in case… it doesn't end how we want it to.” 

 

He hastily moved to add,

 

“-and that's not your fault. If your Idea doesn't work, I won’t blame you. That fact that you are even trying to help us-the downtrodden problem filled skeletons that we are-Is more than anything I ever thought we’d get, even in this place. You have defied expectations, and I thank you for that.”

 

I had a sudden wave of vexation wash over me.  _ They deserve more than this! Me being here should not defy expectations. This should be the norm.  _ I thought deeply for a moment.  _ And it will be. I will make it so. I shall do as much as I can to help them, just as I will do with the others. Monsters as kind as them should not be stuck feeling as if someone being polite to them is the best thing to occur.   _ I looked down, feeling two emotions once again seeking control. A once disregarded dream rose again.

 

_ Determination, and Kindness.  _ I was always told by others that I was too kind for my own good, sometimes as a joke, and sometimes by people with…. Unfriendly intentions. I laughed it off, and disregarded the statement entirely. After all, shouldn't kindness be the norm? My stubborn determination worked for a while… But of course, I eventually learned their lesson the hard way.  the world doesn't work with kindness in mind; It only lies and says that it does.

 

_ How weak and stupid you were, taking so long to realize that. It’s kill or be killed, and you chose the second option! Except, it didn't end your life, did it?! hehe...  _ With my new realization in mind, my will, my  _ Determination _ faded, just like my father's life did.  _ What a fool you were….hehe! His life for that… monster! Was it worth it?!  _ The quiet voice of cynical laughter spoke again, soft and sweet, yet as sharp as a knife. This voice was angering, as it should be, because the small lingering shadow had found the perfect question to ask.  _ My inner conscience seems to have gotten better at torturing me, huh. After all, How could one reply to such a question? One life for another? How would I-how COULD I have known what would happen, and what would be caused by that fateful encounter? _

 

The small voice spoke again, teasing me with horrid questions that were not meant to be answered, or even asked. __

 

_ If you had known the consequences, would you have done it? Would you have used that power of a god to trade a soul for a soul? Or would you have left the monster to rot, and, in turn, let your father live to see another day? Hehe! You are not a Kind Person. You simply hide under a mask. Not that Kind People really exist. In order to be Kind, you must have unrivaled Power to enforce it. You must strike fear into the hearts of the wicked, so that uneasy peace can be kept. You have false morals so you can feel a sense of power and superiority. After all, if you act high and mighty and above the violent cretins of society, it will make you seem strong, right? but, look how weak and feeble that power is…. It crumbles at its seems and foundations when the mere mention of sacrifice is made. After all, why should you be able to choose who lives and who dies? Why should YOU have the right? You're too weak to have that sort of power.  _

 

“You're right…” I mumbled under my breath.

 

_ I am weak. I should have died long ago.  _

 

The small shadow giggled, amused by my supposed answer. I continued, much to the voices' surprise.

  
  


_ And yet, I am still here. I can not go back in time. I am not a god. I did not have the power to know all, and I never will. But... that does not matter. Would I do it again, knowing what I did at the time? Yes. However, if I had known…… _

 

The voice stayed silent in anticipation of my true answer to their question. 

 

_ I would have found a way to save them both. _

  
  


Echoed laughter filled my mind.  _ A fool's HOPE! You really never learn, do you? _

 

I smiled and looked up at Skull, exiting my trance.  _ That may be so, but I intend on keeping it that way. After all, someone who does not hold onto their hopes and dreams is not truly living. I shall be kind, for the sake of everyone I hold dear, those alive…. And dead. _

  
  


“Well, I guess we will need to work on raising your expectations! And It’s alright if you don’t fully feel as if it’s going to work, most plans have that feeling somewhere in their planning, Right? So, you just sit back and relax while I do the ‘hoping stuff’!” I made quotations in the air, while cheerfully smiling. “Now, I feel as If I got sidetracked! Let's set up the plan over a nice plate of spaghetti! All of this planning is making me hungry!”

 

I could see Skull and Sweets smiling cheerfully, which I assumed was because they finally had something going right for once. 

  
  


That all changed when Sans slammed open the front door and entered the room, with Stretch trying to stop him. I looked at Stretch, who shrugged nervously.

  
  


“Where is she?! What did you do to her?!”

He gave Skull a distrustful glare, until he saw me in the corner of his eye.

 

“Oh thank god! I was so worried! Did they do anything to you?!

 

“No. Sans, I’m fine. They did not harm me in any way, and I came here of my own fruition, with the help of Stretch. Can you stop accusing them now?”

 

Sans Sighed with relief, but then looked at Skull again with an unreadable gaze.

 

“How did she know you were here? I’m pretty certain Stretch wasn't the one who told her, so did you come to  _ my _ house without permission?!”

 

Skull was starting to look crazed again, and Sweets was trying to figure out what to do. I looked over to Stretch, who at this point was looking at me and Sans desperately. I nodded to him in a gesture of understanding, trying to let him know that I did not fault him for what was going on now.  Stepping forward, and putting a hand on Sans’ shoulder, I spoke softly and with a sense of calm in my voice.

 

“Don’t blame them, or Stretch. I learned of them and this place from a dream, and then, when I woke up, I decided I wanted to deal with this myself. After all, in a way, this was my fault, right?” 

 

Sans turned around to face me, but before he could speak, I continued.

 

“So, with Stretch’s help, I came here to set things right. I knew that doing this my  _ own _ way would be the only way to resolve things peacefully, without anger or violence. Me being here was not Skull’s Idea, or anyone else's. It was mine. In fact, Skull was against it at first! He thought that you sent me here to get him in trouble.”

 

Sans’ eyes softened as he looked at me.

 

“Rose, you didn't have to do that…”

 

I gave him a critical glare. He sighed, continuing.

 

“-But, you did, and it shows just how wrong I was. If my new tenant had to be the one to do it, what does that say about me? I should have found a way to do what you did, but I let fear restrict me from it. And for that…”

 

He turned to Skull.

 

“I am sorry. I should have at least told you and the other two what was going on, but I didn't.”

 

Skull looked at him critically, with His hand shakily turning to a fist.

 

“You're sorry?! Really?! How about how you and the others have been treating us? And why did you feel as if you needed to hide  _ her _ ” Skull said, pointing to me, “from us? Were you afraid we were going to  _ kill _ her?! What kind of monsters do you think we are?! We did what we had to to survive, and now you look at us as if we were doing it for sport?”

 

Skulls voice hushed, as if he realized something. He looked at me, with a smile forming on his face. He looked back at Sans, now much more calm.

 

“Or…. Were you afraid of something else entirely?”

 

Sans’ eyes widened, his grin tightening. 

 

“What exactly do you mean?”

 

“Does she even know?”

 

_ Huh? What does he mean by that?  _ I turned to Stretch, who looked white as a ghost.  _ What is going on? _

 

“Just what exactly am I missing here?”

 

When Skull heard my answer, his grin got even wider.

 

“So, you didn't tell her? Look at that!  _ Mr. Squeaky clean _ doing something he shouldn't have?! How wild is that?!” 

 

“What are you talking about Skull?”

  
  


Skull looked like he was going to reply, but Sans stopped him.

 

“Stop. You don’t know what would happen if the others knew. I don’t want to force her into that.”

 

Sans moved toward Skull, then spoke to him quietly. Skull grunted angrily, but he didn’t fight it.

 

“Fine…. But” he growled, “If you hide this from her for too long… I  _ will tell her myself.” _

 

 Sans nodded with grim understanding, then turned to focus on me.

  
  


“Just what exactly is going on? What am I missing?”

 

_ More questions…. To many….  _

 

The small whisper took the silence as a chance to speak again.  _ Look at that! They hide things from you even in front of your face! Look how unimportant you are to them… hehe! _

 

_ No. There has to be a reason. Something logical. They will tell me when they can. I mustn't get angry at them.  _

 

The small voice spoke once again, giggling like a maniac.  _ How naive you are...Such a fool…  _

 

“Rose...I-”

 

“I-It’s alright. If you feel as if I shouldn't know whatever you are hiding just yet, I shall wait until you feel as if I should. But, right now, whatever that thing is doesn't matter. What matters is getting Skull and his brother, as well as the others out of the places they are living in, and into the house.”

 

I turned to Skull.

 

“I would assume that you guys are almost completely packed, for the most part, right?”

 

“Yes.”

 

“Well, let's get them moved in then! I’m certain that at the very least, if I were to ask Blue and Papy to help, they would, and I’d assume that the other two would help as well, or maybe just the taller one… I guess we will find out soon enough!”

 

I looked around cheerfully to find confused faces, except for Sweets, who looked like his normal cheery self.

 

“What?”

 

Sans raised an eyebrow.

 

“Do you mean… right now?”

 

I giggled.

 

“Gods no! Gosh, did you guys really think I was ready to try and wake up everybody at like 4:00 in the morning? No way! I’m taking a nap first, thank you very much! We should probably start working at around eleven-ish to twelve-ish to get everything done! Sans, make sure to get a hold of the other two, so they know what's going on. Now, I want to get to sleep! Who’s taking me home?”

 

Both Stretch and Sans raised their hands, trying to make it look as chill as possible. When they realized that the other had their hand up, they looked at each other with nonchalant smiles.

 

Stretch spoke first, moving forward casually toward Sans and I, then when he made it up to Sans, he gave him a pat on the back.

 

“Okay pal, let me take her home, after all, I did bring her here!”

 

Sans’ grin widened.

 

“Well, I was the one who brought her here in the first place _ buddy _ , and I think that I should take her home!”

 

I yawned, then found my eyes wandering to Skull, who was looking at me intently. While Sans and Stretch were mock fighting, I slowly made my way closer to him, which wasn't hard, as he was only a few feet a way with his brother.

 

I quietly moved beside the two of them, with Skull taking the place to my left, and Sweets just to my right.

 

“So, can you teleport?”

 

Skull let out a quiet chuckle.

 

“Depends’.”

 

I looked at Skull curiously.

 

“What does that mean?”

 

“Sometimes I can, sometimes I can’t. I also can’t do it too many times a day, and it wears me out. You can blame  _ this _ ” he said pointing to the gaping hole in his skull, “for it. I barely use it anymore, cuz’ it’s too unreliable. After all, if I need to transport something, I don’t want to be stuck without a way back if it doesn't work, you know?”

I was about to tell him not to worry about it, when he puts a hand on my shoulder.

  
  


“-but, I’ll make an exception for you. Think of it as another way to repay you for all of your kindness, alright?”

 

I blushed, smiling. 

 

“There's no need for that…”

 

“And there was no need for you to help _ us,  _ right? But you did it anyway, despite the dangers. Now, I’m gonna need to hold on to you, alright?”

 

I nodded remembering what Stretch said. He carefully held me by my side with one arm, letting me latch onto him to do the rest. I see him grin at Stretch and Sans, who were still bickering.

 

“Hey, while you two dinguses fight each other like little girls, I’ll be takin’ the lady home, alright? So you can’t say I kidnapped her or something. See yah, and i’ll be right back.”

 

I gave Sweets a cheerful smile and let go with one hand to wave.

 

“Bye sweetheart! I’m sorry I couldn't try your spaghetti today, but I’ll make sure to try it later, alright?”

 

He smiled back with his crooked teeth glinting faintly from the candlelight. 

 

“BYE ROSE! I CAN’T WAIT TO SEE YOU TOMORROW!”

 

I looked at Stretch and Sans, giving a smile and a wave just as I felt the change.  _ I forgot to hold my breath and close my eyes! _ To my surprise, I didn't have any trouble at all with my breathing, so much so that it was almost easier.  _ It feels so natural…  I _ got a quick peek in on my surroundings before I felt the quick rush and heard the distorting sounds once again. I found myself looking at the door to the house.  _ Dang it… I only got to see darkness… But It's so similar to what I see in my dreams… _

 

I carefully let go of Skull, who did the same. I looked at him carefully for any signs of him tiring out, although, thankfully, I saw none.

 

“Thanks for the lift! Do you feel all right after that?”

 

“Yah, surprisingly enough. I don’t really feel tired at all! Dumb luck I guess?”

 

Not knowing what to say, we both stood there for a bit, waiting for the other to say something. Finally, Skull broke the silence.

 

“Listen, Rose… thank you. You don’t know how much this all means to me and my brother.”

 

I put my hand on Skull's shoulder.

 

“I don't get it. But… I know how you feel. You feel as if you haven't done enough to thank me right?”

 

Skull nodded, causing me to sigh.

 

“Alright. You can fully repay me by getting moved into the house tomorrow, and then having fun with your brother and, if you can, with the others. I know it’s a lot to ask, but it's the only way that  _ me _ , and  _ you _ , will be happy and comfortable. Loosen up, have a fun time, and finally find a way to feel at home. And don’t feel like I’m making you do this by yourself! If anything, I will be more nervous than you! Ten skeletons, five of which are outgoing and energetic, all under one roof? That’s wild! You’ve got to remember, I’ve only been here a _ day!  _

All of this crazy stuff is so new to me, and I’m going to need all the help I can get!”

  
  


Skull smiled, letting out a sigh of relief.

 

“Yah, I guess you’ve got a point then, huh? I’ve got to step my game up!”

 

I let go of his shoulder, and turned toward the door.

 

“Goodnight Skull.”

 

I moved up the steps, and opened the door.

  
  


“Goodnight Angel.”

  
  


I blushed, and quickly went into the house, closing the door behind me.

 

I quickly found Magic when he rushed from the sofa to greet me. 

 

“Meow?”

 

I smiled, and carefully scooped him up. 

 

“Hi sweetheart, did you have a good time without me?”

 

He purrs as I carefully rub his black, fuzzy belly.

 

I head up to my room, careful not to make too much of a sound, then when I make it to my room, I move over to my bed, and set him down. I looked down to see stretch’s hoodie.  _ Oh yeah! I’ll need to give that back tomorrow! Well, I should probably take it off for now.  _ I took off his hoodie and went over to the door to the bathroom, which had a rack hook on it that allowed for someone to hang up things like coats or towels, and hung it up. _ There we go! Now I’ll just close my door, turn off the light, and head back to bed!  _ I gave my bed a quick check to be certain that all of my kitties were in my room, then went to the door and closed it.  _ Perfect.  _ I turned off the light, then slowly and carefully made my way to my bed in the dark. Slipping under the covers, I softly closed my eyes. I felt sleepiness slowly seep into my consciousness, with my last thoughts being of the exciting and adventurous morning to come.

 

H̸̬͙͈͆̽͋ǫ̵̥̂̽ẉ̶̛͙̈ ̶̛̦̈͝l̵̰̳̜͌͌̈́ô̴͇̠̓n̴̘͉̫͆͝g̷̟̲̒́͝ ̴̢̪͌̑͘w̷̝i̷̺̾̿l̵̠͕̑̔̾l̵̤̮͐͂͜ ̴̡͙̓͐͒y̴̠̲̩͗̃͝o̷̼̣͇͆̕ṵ̶͝r̵͉̮͆ ̵̪͔͌h̷̭̗͘ͅa̷͎̅̂p̵̮̗̙̓p̵̜̉̈y̸̗͖͌̓ ̶͕̰͚͛l̴̠̠̩̈́̿͆i̸̹͆̾f̷̰̅͘̚e̵͙̠͂ ̷̺̣̖̂l̶̪͑͆a̴̜͐̊s̶̹̉̃̄t̵͙̹͆̾͒͜ ̵̛̘̃I̶͓̽̂ ̶͎̱̎w̸̱͕̬̉ỏ̶̲̏n̸̼̋͛d̷̬̬̿̐ȅ̴͕ṟ̵̔́͝?̷̞̘̦́ ̸̢͋͘I̵̦̒͗ ̸̛͊͜c̵̗͎̮̈́͛͝â̶̩̦̮n̶̦̤̮͠'̵̮͋t̴̬͈̎̚͠ ̶͇͂͐̕w̵̤̓͝ã̷͎̈́̉ĩ̶̡͖ṯ̴̿̐ ̵̡̙̚̕t̸̰̎̿͠ơ̶̲͉̯̚ ̵̱̋ͅw̷̹͔̄̚͝a̷̺͝͠͠ť̴̜͗͝c̵̬̋h̶̨̫̀͂͘ ̴̛̼̺̿̆ͅì̶̢̩t̸̺̖̥̔̊͘ ̸̡̰̦͋̃̃â̴̤̘̖̅̓l̸͖͑͘l̴͚̝̗̍͒ ̴͓̞̎͐f̵̮̩̟̈́a̵̱̝̾͘͠l̷̠͋̏ͅl̶̜͐̂̅ ̶̞̲̼͊a̷̫̲͑͛͝p̷̰̉̅͜á̷͉̞͎̉͘ṟ̷̰̇͑t̸̗̻͆.̵͉͓̹͌.̴̫̞̽̃.̵̹̬̲͝.̷͍̳̊h̴͇̔̿̅e̵̛͙̤̊͛h̸̜͇͗͋͝e̴͍̒͗!̴̗̽͋̐

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello! I'm really sorry for the late update, but the virus that will not be named has been interrupting my schedule a bit(I am higher risk for being in danger if I get this virus, as I am on a medication that makes it harder to breathe). I have officially made a tumbler, and I have even posted a drawing I did! Feel free to add anything you like, as long as it isn't nsfw or crazy 18+ content! blood is alright, as long as it isn't super duper graphic, but I find it unlikely that anything will be a problem. I will take asks and questions on either platform, and I actually plan on having my next chapter be a separate Pov from different points of view.... and not just from the skeles...
> 
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> My tumbler: https://lovekittylover12345.tumblr.com/
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> Sans: Rose... You're even more amazing than I thought...  
> PAPYRUS THE AMAZINGLY AWESOME!: WELL, I WISH I COULD SLEEP.... BUT, NO MATTER! THE MORNING WILL COME QUITE SOON!  
> Stretch:I can't believe it! she was actually able to do it! just how will this go I wonder?  
> BLUE!!!: I CAN'T BELIEVE THAT SLEEPING IS THIS HARD...  
> Red: heh...So Rose and ashtray went over to Mr. Axehole's house then? how interesting...  
> EDGE THE UNBEATABLE!: HOW ANNOYING! HOW IS SOMEONE SUPPOSED TO SLEEP WHEN THEY HAVE SO MUCH ON THERE MIND?!  
> Skull: so that's why he was hiding her... I understand now. Unfortunately, it seems like he was to late. An Angel like her can't be hidden so easily, and now that most of us know, It's likely that news will spread... Lets hope he will find an answer soon..  
> SWEETS!: I CAN'T WAIT FOR TOMORROW!


	9. A Hiatus

Hello there everyone! Unfortunately, I am going to be on a hiatus. Let me explain why. 

 

I am usually on a heavy duty medication, however, there is a possibility that this medication is causing me breathing problems due to me being allergic to it. This would not be as much of an issue, however, because of the corona virus, this makes me high risk, when under normal circumstances, I wouldn't be.

 

Getting off of this medication is an arduous process spanning over several weeks, as just trying to stop taking the medication abruptly can lead to dangerous complications, and if I were to not take it for long enough, I could even die (thankfully, that would be only if I didn't take it for several months).

 

Getting off of this medication makes me not only have to deal with what it was helping to stop, but also give added side affects of grogginess, fatigue, difficultly thinking, among other annoying things. 

 

Thankfully, this process should be over soon! until then, I will try my best to work on my story when I feel that my writing is not impaired. I am also getting a wacom tablet that can connect to a computer soon that will allow me to draw my characters, as drawing isn't as hard for me as everything else is.  I might as well use this time to improve with my drawing, and if any of you have things you might think would be cool for me to draw, just tell me, either as a comment here, or on my tumbler! (I plan on using these requests as a way to eventually get good enough to take commissions someday, although that time is far off lol)

 

i hope that you all are doing well, and I would love to talk to you all, as I am not really able to go outside much. I will say that my comments probably won't be as good as they normally would be, but it would be nice nonetheless! :-)

**Author's Note:**

> notes  
> ____________  
> i'm sorry for any miss spellings or run-on sentences, if you find any, just tell me and I'll fix it.........eventually...  
> Feel free to ask me questions in the Comments!


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